Episode 057: "Altitudinous Privacy"

18 Nov 2025 · 46 min

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In short

Berlant & Novak - Episode 057: "Altitudinous Privacy"

Hosts

  • Jacqueline Novak
  • Kate Berlant

Episode Overview In this episode, the hosts engage in a whimsical conversation that touches on their experiences with wearable technology, social interactions at The Grove, and the nuances of maintaining privacy and comfort in daily life. The episode features playful banter and a blend of personal anecdotes and philosophical musings.

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Key Themes and Discussions

  1. Wearable Technology
  2. Jacqueline's Experiments:
  3. Jacqueline discusses her use of competing wearable devices, including the ZIP microcurrent device, which she finds effective for acne.
  4. A humorous exchange about the challenges of managing skin care while working out, contemplating SPF and the effects of sweat.
  1. Community Engagement at The Grove
  2. Kate's Visit:
  3. Kate describes an outing to The Grove, a popular shopping area, where she attempts to create community connections.
  4. The hosts discuss the significance of personal interactions and the desire to connect with service staff, like the Nordstrom employee Nancy, during her shopping experience.
  1. Dining Experiences and Social Rituals
  2. Dinner at Gracias Madre:
  3. They recount a dinner with friends, emphasizing the joy of communal dining and the shared experience of ordering the same dish, the Oaxaca bowl.
  4. Kate humorously reflects on the absurdity of a nearby influencer event that disrupts their dining experience.
  5. Prayer Ritual:
  6. They share a moment of reverence when lighting candles at the restaurant's altar, indicating a connection to spirituality post-meal.
  1. The Concept of "Altitudinous Privacy"
  2. Reclining and Intimacy:
  3. The hosts discuss the idea of privacy derived from physical space, noting how a lower table setting at the restaurant allowed for a feeling of intimacy.
  4. The term "altitudinous privacy" is humorously coined to describe this unique seating arrangement.
  1. Everyday Life Observations
  2. Musicality of Mundane Experiences:
  3. The hosts reflect on how seemingly trivial daily activities (such as the structure of a chair or the vibe at dinner) can have deeper meanings and emotional resonances.
  4. They discuss the beauty found in mundane moments, suggesting that these experiences are a form of art.

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Key Takeaways

  • Technology and Self-Care:
  • The integration of technology (wearables) into self-care routines raises questions about efficacy and personal listening.
  • Community Connection:
  • Engaging with others in social settings, whether at shops or restaurants, is highlighted as an important part of the human experience.
  • Spirituality in Daily Life:
  • Rituals such as lighting candles serve as a reminder of the interconnectedness of social dining and spirituality.
  • Exploring Identity through Experience:
  • The hosts emphasize the importance of being present and aware during various experiences, suggesting that this mindfulness can lead to greater fulfillment.

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Closing Remarks The episode blends humor with thoughtful insights, encouraging listeners to find joy and meaning in everyday interactions and experiences. The playful dynamic between Berlant and Novak enhances the exploration of these themes, making for an engaging and reflective listen.

Call to Action Listeners are invited to rate and review the podcast and check out their premium content and merchandise links shared at the end of the episode.

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*For more insights, follow them on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/poogpodcast/@poogpodcast).*

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Transcript

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0:02Two best friends, both alike in dignity. Nurturing phantoms and courting the muse The hag divines when something must die Yes, that was Poog But this is huge The ego loves to seek But never to find It was Berlant and Novak The whole time Did you straighten your hair? Are you joking? Straighten? You look, something's going on Is it the angle? Like you're like, you're angled Like the camera's at a crazy angle? Guess what I pulled out of the mix Okay, wildly I found it on the shelf I just go what? What's going on there? The app's not even on the phone anymore I just grab it I see some random clear stuff I slap it on There she goes Who knows what program it's on But it was working She's talking about the Zip microcurrent device Which I swear by for acne By the way This is like working out Start working out, something else goes wrong I'm breaking out from like sweating, I guess.

1:04And then maybe not immediately washing my face enough. I don't know. Well, tell out there. I mean, you're wearing SPF on the way to the workout, I imagine, in the car. Are you sitting down? Sometimes I don't. I go raw if I'm going straight to the workout because. Well, yeah, I mean, no, who does? I know because it feels ridiculous. That's why you have to wear a full face smock, which I do, again, think we might want to consider. What's the deal with UV blockage in the car? Maybe just the eyes peering out? Yeah. Well, what's the deal with UV blockage in the car? You haven't seen this? No, I've seen it.

1:34Images. Yeah, where it's fully, fully faced. But like. Just the eyes peeking out. Yeah, but. Can you believe I've been to the Grove already today? Grove and back? Well, here we go, folks. First of all, let's just call it what it is. Talk about not morning poog. And it ain't morning. But this is a crazy poog time. I've lived six. I've lived six and a half years today. Every day is a freaking lifetime. time and this one oh and i just mean emotionally mentally it's such a vastly different place to so anyway it's 422 folks it's 422 420 poog and i was going to join jacqueline this morning for a workout but i was feeling a little depleted and my aura ring told me to take it easy today and i thought you know what listen she listen to your body but more importantly listen to your orering listen to and no right right right because listen to this yeah so listen to this just let's everyone listen in wearable caper land once again she bitched and she moaned years ago i know i know now look at her now she's i'm staying home or i told me to stay home so proud and happy because as you know i my whoop data is and i'm gonna get the two competing i'm gonna get them i know you You brought me.

2:51You brought me. Plus Apollo. Where's Apollo? Yeah. Or versus Warp. Oh, versus Apollo versus Neurobot versus, I saw something today. I go, yeah, I'll be looking for that too. Okay. So I last night was at an event. Back on Mocha. I was at an event last night. It's actually incredible. I am in episode one of All's Fair, the Kim Kardashian-Ryan Murphy show. Oh, hell yeah. Right. Okay. And I'm there and I see a woman wearing an outfit and I go, I like her outfit. I go up to her and go, excuse me, who makes your outfit? She goes, oh, you know, my friend collaborated on a line with Nordstrom and it actually just dropped today.

3:36Really? So you ran off to Nordstrom? And I go, I want it. I get the name. Little bitch. Okay. Well, you did see if I wanted to come, but I was listening to my whoop. I did text you. and deciding that you're missing because i was listening to my whoop deciding that i would go to the workout but you know i'd be mindful of my effort this is my whole new thing okay mindful of my effort during the workout i could still go i can bring it down i could do 70 percent right right right yeah you don't have to go full you don't have to go for me it helps because routine the routine of like you know not resisting the going you know the the whole like the routine is putting your pants on and getting a car the routine isn't working out because like a lot of times the rest will happen naturally now i am someone that will drive studio city and you know decide it ain't happening and you know go to the hardware store so that's turn away if we all have to have a different way to take back sorry sorry hello i go up to her and i'm like you know so i get the information the outfit look it up it's a leopard leopard blazer leopard maxi skirt and And the skirt retails$99.

4:46Wait, was it the exact one she was wearing? Yes. The skirt retails$99. The blazer retails$130. I go, I'm going to freaking get that. I call around some malls today. Wait, you still haven't told the brand yet? The Grove goes, we have it. I mean, I know it's a Nordstrom collab, but is there a reason you're not saying it yet? I will not gay keep. I will not gay keep. No, I will not gay keep this. it's Sarah Walker, Samantha Leopard Sarah Walker with WAIF W-A-Y-F, I have no clue does this item look particularly expensive? no, but it's fun, here wait, I'm going to send you a picture of myself in the dressing room wearing it so it was incredible so I have an ecstatic experience calling Nordstrom's, I call the Americana we don't have it in store right now in this size but I just sent you a picture though.

5:39Look at the picture of me in the dressing room. And I talked to Nancy at Nordstrom's. Wait, is it denim? I can't tell. What is it? No, no, no. It's fabric. Cool. But Nancy on the phone, it's great. I'm going to come in and get it. I go, you know what? I'm driving to the Grove, middle of the day, very unusual, kind of rare feeling. Going to the Grove. I'm in there and here's what's funny. So I talked, I'm like, oh, I'm looking for Nancy. It's Nancy. Hi, Nancy. it's kate you you set aside that leopard uh set for me oh yeah she comes over she grabs it and then i me trying to force community i go you know coming in to try on in person i mean it's like it's like the olden days and she it doesn't register because for her obviously it's just like this is normal right but i was trying to force it i go i go here i am in person not ordering it online coming into the mall in person of course she wouldn't she was unamused You know, she's like, sure.

6:35She was so nice. She was a doll, but like that just didn't really register for her, which is fair. And then I started to engage in, oh, do I get this size? Do I get that? I did mix and match different size blazer and skirt. And guess what, Jacqueline? I had money on a Nordstrom gift card from my dentist. So my dentist also bought me, we all know my dentist bought me hugs. And then I had leftover and my dentist couldn't. Historically, it was pants. No, no, the pants I never got. The pants. But now he bought me part of this suit. So it's huge. And I want micro Uggs. I want micro Uggs. The ones that are the tiniest.

7:12Didn't you want them last year for Christmas? So I got those for Christmas last year. They go above the ankle. And then famously, the shoe salesman who sold them to me lives in my neighborhood. And we ran into him in the street. It was explosive. These are micro under the ankle. Right. Which are? For a house shoe. So interesting. Cape Relent Uggs. What? Well, it's the deepest part of myself. It's what I wore in middle school. Well, it's the true snob or not snob brat. Or just sort of, well, by the way, what the fuck? What am I, a fucking man? Why am I recording this podcast at a desk? Like a fucking cock knocker?

7:53By the way, I know. As soon as I lean back, I go couch poop. By the way, because I've been thinking. People are tired of this shit, okay? this this is art that people need to be reminded with a little bit of selective okay i am gonna i'm gonna try nothing clears my mind like a new visual i'm gonna create i have a couple couch pieces that might be floating upstairs we'll see point is you people don't know what what what's coming i'm gonna be in reclining i'm gonna recline i'm gonna do all sorts of crazy ass shit okay because this is this is interesting but wait wait i want to tell you the rest of the story what if we were no i want it but what if we recorded prone

8:39what you know you know you lie prone that's wrong i think that's on your stomach by the way jack in the middle of the night i was like laughing thinking about i was in the frog position with the one leg up on my stomach one leg up ready to leapfrog escape the bed launch out of the bed oh you know i saw this exercise don't don't don't wait hold hold hold this story don't forget it i saw an exercise it was like primal movements and someone's like look it up you know and they're like it almost was that movement and then you flop it was called i think it was called primal it was like you flop and then you switch directions and then you do it again and do it again and helping people with their brains these children etc so we're gonna have to look into that all right go on okay well of course the story it's not too much of a thrill but the point is i was there at the mall i talked to another woman it's just we're having a ball i get this day i go go i'm going to new york next week perfect for fall she goes oh it's perfect for fall so glad so glad it worked out i'm i am breezing through the mall feeling just light as light as a feather i go down to the chanel beauty counter i've had my eye on a chanel foundation listeners may recall i'm sure i talked about it on the pod i went to two or three beauty counters in one day none of they were all out of my shade i saunter up today they've got my shade i buy it go by brandy melville have to billy bit out brandy melville bleep now you don't have to really believe it out but got a couple shirts what did i notice since i got there that was different at the Grove.

10:13Also, what do you do? What do you do about this? I had a thing happened where someone came up to me and said, hi, this is at an event. The person comes up to me, hi, I think it's someone they're not. And I say to them, I'm covering details here. I don't really know. I go, I thought they were the owner of a restaurant that closed. And I said, oh my God, hi i miss name of the restaurant so much and the person looks at me and they do the perfect thing where they don't say anything and they kind of go like well it's really good to see you and they walk away i instantly realize it's the wrong person damn what do i do so i go what do i do but did you realize who it was or merely who it was not so then they walk away i go wait it's not that person still you still don't know who they are i go it's not that person i go i think it's this and I was correct I was like this is the association I think I know them from here I was correct I later learned so I go what do I do do I go up to them I go hey sorry that so I I do tell me if you think this is a weird fib I don't call it a lie but I declare it's a fib I go up to them and I go maybe that's the name thing I miss blank so much maybe that's the name of a friend that moved away I go the friend died I go let's not go death let's go they moved away I go you mean the lie you're quickly creating yeah so let's just say i don't i'm right right so let's say the restaurant was called i'm jumping i know yeah it's just called tana okay i go so again i said to the person oh my god hi i miss tana so much blank stare smile good to see you they walk away i go fuck so then i go what do i do do i go oh my god i thought so so then i say to them i thought this would be the bravest thing i know you're not going to give the name of the restaurant right Yeah.

11:56But although actually the name of the restaurant doesn't fuck anything. No. Does it not? No. So actually maybe can we work with the real name of the restaurant but not the friend? Because it really does affect matters, right? So do you want to give the name of the restaurant? Okay. Okay. Jewel. The name of the restaurant is Jewel. Exactly. So that's where you go because you were launching in on name of the restaurant. That could be a friend who died. And I'm going, well, if the restaurant was called, you know, pasta, pasta, pasta. Okay. It could be an issue. So I'm going, okay, it's Jewel. so I miss Jewel so much right so you're going now here's my question is Jewel in your opinion known enough that this person knows no well could be could be good fucking let me just play with it for a moment before we get to what you did I just want to play with it for a moment it could be it actually really could be everyone can join in thinking how would they get out of this right so I go I miss Jewel so much okay and also I have an announcement guess what you could play it off like you said y 'all look at this a person the person does bear a resemblance to like they look similar okay look but look at this no i hear you but look joel joel yeah no you know joel right joel mccabee so so i said i go wouldn't it be brave if i went if i went up to this person i said you know what i'm so mortified i'm so sorry i cannot place where i know you from wouldn't that be so brave?

13:21Wouldn't that be so, and there I am too scared. So here's what I do. The person's still kind of near me. So I go up to them, I smile, I go, I'm so sorry. I thought you knew my friend Jewel, but I realized that I don't think you do know my friend Jewel. Right. But I know exactly who you are, but you don't know my friend Jewel, right? Waiting for them to tell you. And then the person, and then the person goes, no, I know you from, and I was correct, says where I know them and I go, oh my God. And again, in my defense, I haven't seen the person in 10 years. So it's like, it's not egregious. And we were never closer.

13:56And the point is, was the lie strange? Was it weird that I went up and I said, you don't know my friend, you made it not. I could have just said, God, you look just like the person who owns this restaurant, but it's not you. But I didn't. Sometimes that you want to protect who you want to protect them from who you thought they were it's it's strange strange game but but but now i'm just wondering how can we know the kind of world yeah can we know the kind of world that you knew them from because this really academia oh my god a fellow student or a teacher teacher so what why are you protecting that this is this is not i don't know why i'm protecting so much There's nothing.

14:39I would tell this. So a teacher, okay, comes up to you, says hi. Again, not my professor. Just a professor at the department. Who you had engaged with in some capacity. Intellectually? A little bit. But I was never in their class. Like, no. But you knew their name? No. So it seems like they were out of control by even coming up to say hello. I was like, oh, of course. No, no, no. That's not true. When they turned away, I was like, I feel like their name is this. the first name I had and I was correct. They, by the way, they weren't offended. They were like, oh, from this. And I was like, oh my God, of course.

15:14I was like, I mean, my God, I haven't seen you in so long. And then I kind of doubled down. It's been what, 10 years? They go, yeah, it's been a long time. Yeah, I just think I really, I want to call them up and tell them what I think. I think it's outrageous for them to come up and you just give a big old hey, staring at you, not identifying themselves. Yeah, not go, it's me, blank, blank, blank, from blank, blank, blank. From the blank, blank, blank. From the blank, blank school. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, I think, yeah, this is this weird thing where there's this moment where it's so simple. And I've said it before, and I feel like it's so obvious that it's almost imperceptible.

15:47Okay. And therefore, it's no longer obvious, which is if you mistake someone for someone else, right? If they don't know each other, okay, if the two people don't know each other, it's like there's some level on which I think you are embarrassed in front of the person who owns Jewel, even though they are not anywhere in this interaction. Do you know what I'm saying? Right, right, right, right. Yeah. The person that would feel bad about it truly is not there. So you actually have not offended the person you do know by like, basically, you see a stranger, you think they're your friend, right? Tony?

16:20Okay. No. Okay. So Tony? No. And then you're like, oh God, you feel embarrassed as though Tony saw it, but Tony didn't see it because guess who's not there? Tony. Right. I fear where do I, I can't place you or where do I know you from? because is because that almost defines like an associate an associated value to the relationship like where do i know you from is like you know me from class like where do i know you from is not you know i'm your second husband right you see what i'm saying i can't place where i know you from your previous home right it's like yeah yeah where i know you from means like i know your face from somewhere not we have a relationship so the fear would be i can't place you and it'd be like we went on a vacation together yeah okay i can't place now now where do i know you from it like you're expecting um well by the way we see each other at the gym i have fear around this yeah exactly i have fear around that's my fear i chronically introduce people who have known each other for years or who i even met one of them through the other person like chronic might be too strong a word that no but that borders on like a humorous character detail of like of the self-obsessed or whatever right like no i know i'm like i'm like oh my god and there i am trying to be polite i go so and so meets so and so they go yeah we all went to paris together we introduced you yeah we all no no jacqueline i've had it happen we knew each other i've had it happen a couple times where i i go introduce two people and then i catch myself right before i go you fucking idiot literally you all went to spain like like like in a way that's like Like an entire experiences are gone.

18:02My mom does tell me that my memories. She'll be like, remember that? And I'm like, I wasn't there. She's like, yes, you were. What's that about? Trauma response. No. I mean, sure, but no. The mind and the way that it sits, it hovers around the brain, continues to elude. So much eludes. I love this reclining. Look, look, look, by the way.

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19:38What's in there? Have we shown these on the air? No. These are the Noshinko. So I believe I got, did I get the cappuccino glass and you got the Cortado glass? Wait, I have an announcement. Are you sure it's Noshinko? Isn't that the name of the hand sanitizer company? Honey. i think you got your brand scrambled scrambled you know what's so funny about that so i actually was congratulating myself earlier for spontaneously pulling no shinko going you do remember things right i mean i know i remember things but wait let me let me let me so when i search for things it's always through it's always through keywords like when i have to find some like a text message i'll remember an arbitrary like word they use and that's how i get them i'm like remembering the conversation i'm like oh yeah what you said falcon paisley here it comes you know what i mean so yeah like right now i'm gonna say cortado no that's pretty obvious okay point is we were gifted some gorgeous glasses right no yeah no no i i when you when you said i'm like you're absolutely right that's those are those spritzes right we like the hand sanitizer i got false confirmation because i looked at the bottom of the glass where there's something imprinted okay and i go yeah yeah that says nashinko okay the brand folks of the so this is a kate you got yours in emerald i got this blue color it's really pretty you see but is yours cortado size yes oh no you got the amber i got amber amber cortado wait wait wait wait do you want to know what the brand's name yeah please not neutral not neutral No Shinko.

21:17What's not neutral? The name of the brand. Not neutral is the name of the Tumblr brand? No. Can't be. Okay, hold on. I really don't think so. I really don't think so. Now, why do you not think so? Let's just play this game. Because I feel like I have the name in my head and that it's one word. Yeah, totally. Of course, you could be completely right. No, but like almost like a No Shinko, but not. Yeah. You don't feel two words, right? I feel one word. Maybe even starting with an n yeah yeah i hear that okay and then jacklyn's doing a share screen do you see what it says holy shit jacklyn's right not neutral okay much respect you're also right i still don't think i still don't think it's right you're also right it's one word she said okay it's it's the The eavesdroppers are eavesdropping.

22:09Okay, but that is the Vero. Here's what I got confused. Vero. I think I got confused with Vero. Oh, wow. Like I thought the brand was Vero. Yeah, so we have, you have Vero Cortado glass. Cortado. That's my blue that I have. You can put coffee in it. You can put a little tea in it. You can put a little cocktail in there. It's really nice. Wait, is this the Cortado? Yeah, did I size up to the little pig? Did I size? I think I did. I think I said, you know what? I'm really making something more approximate of a cappuccino here at home. I think I did. Yeah. Do you like my blue? I want you to admire my blue.

22:44I do. Then I'm showing. Then I'm showing. And this is going somewhere. I have a reason for bringing this. Look at that amber. Look at that central amber. Okay. That's what I got. Yeah. Ooh. Even the clear is pretty. Clear is beautiful. The gray is beautiful. Wait, I'm worried that it's not. No, it is. It is. My voice is lulling them into glory. Okay. because I'm headed somewhere with this, which is I'm envisioning, maybe we'll see if I can reach out in time for the holidays. I'm imagining an etched Vero glass in one of these colors, and I'm imagining that it says something special on it because I'm working on a few holiday collabs, last minute, of course.

23:25Anyway, wouldn't it be glorious? You know what I love? What? Champagne. Really? still i've got i've gotten back into champagne ordering at a bar last night i go let's have champagne what no i just i just noticed i'm not neutral because i'm fantasizing about a collab i just noticed some mugs that could be morning that could just be sacred morning it could be morning poo kind of mug i'm just i'm just envisioning um the holidays are coming this is this is a good oh the holidays are coming up really fast really fast they literally produce custom drinkware for coffee shops restaurants and hotels worldwide that's crazy that's crazy jack so i'll look at they do do the etching i didn't dream it oh imagine that imagine by the way that's like sacred geometry and it says sacred mornings or something i completely agree i think it's great all right i'll be reaching out let's do it should we should we sprint right now here let me let me get rid of this should we sprint right now to cross this small train i know i mean By the way, this is what we're going to talk about.

24:38Holidays. What does it mean to you, Kate? Does it have anything to do with curling up under a wonderful throw from Cozy Earth? Because it does for me. You want to know why? I ordered one. Yeah. The bubble throw. Have you done it yet? Because as partners, we get a special deal and we're going to share it with our listeners. They look so cute. The bubble cuddle blanket, would you like to know? It is, it's got this, this, this, I mean, it's, it's exactly what it sounds like. And it's delicious. Right now it's waiting for me downstairs. I actually fold it. For the couch, for the bed. I throw it over, I fold it and throw it over because I think it looks just really pretty.

25:14It's plush. It's really luscious. I have it in the pale gray. It's, it's very luxurious. I highly encourage the bubble cuddle as a, as a, as a gift. I was going to say the bamboo pajama set is something you might want to be picking up from Cozy Earth. This is so cozy. I mean, it's just unbelievable. This to me is a real gift. A beautiful pajama set, please. So soft. They have a 100-night sleep trial. Try them out. If you don't love them, you can return them hassle-free. They also have a 10-year warranty because once you feel this level of comfort, you're going to want it to last a decade, folk.

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26:19We did it. We went to Gracias Madre double date. When I tell you, this is what's really cute to me, all four of us, each couple, two couples, four people, everyone ordered the same entree, guys. Oh, yeah. That is so cute. So Naomi and I go, and the car ride over, because Naomi had previously gotten the Oaxaca bowl, and I go, I kind of want to experience your bowl because I only got a couple bites last time. I'm really hungry. It was great. So I go in going. I'm going Oaxaca. We're each going Oaxaca. That's so funny. I'm going to get Oaxaca. Next thing I know, Chris, I'll do Oaxaca too. He goes, what, am I not going to do it?

26:55Because we, on the way there, were thinking, look, we've got, last time we were there, I think we got, we were with a group once. We got tacos, you know, it was a whole kind of thing. I was thinking I was going to get one of the bowls. And the ones I remember to my mom was like Madre or something, another one. Suddenly the Oaxaca bowl comes into play as a consideration. So it was both ordering what I had, we had planned to order bowls. I just want to let you know, okay. With a spirit of flexibility. But with a little pizzazz of, wait, what's the Oaxaca Bowl? Yeah. Sorry, I just was imagining. I just cut to me defending this podcast as art to a man.

27:33Okay. And I go like, you don't understand. Right there when I'm sort of going Oaxaca Bowl, I'm working them. I'm working their vibrations. Like I'm doing, I'm moving their ears through an experience. I'm going, I'm going. And then that's when I decided. Oaxaca Bowl. it's it's the music of the everyday no I actually feel by the way me right now recline doing poog talking about Oaxaca bowl talking I feel I don't know what this feeling is it's bliss it's it's I feel so gratitude I just feel gratitude for poog and for the eavesdroppers I know I know but listen listen listen we're Jacqueline, I have it.

28:18I have it. Oh, they won't do it. They won't do it. There's no way. I go, we do a poog pop-up at Gracias Madre. Take over the whole patio. For 48K. For 48K. So here's a, everyone needs to know this. Everyone needs to know this. Remember patio only? You think you get it cheaper? No, no. So you'll recall, you'll recall on a previous episode, Jacqueline and I had the plan to go to Gracias Madre. It was raining in LA. I repeat, it was raining in LA. And I said, and we had all suggested, our minds went there. Do we freaking reschedule? Because Gracias Madre is about the patio. The eavesdropper wondered.

28:52They wondered the same thing. Are they going to go? Do they reschedule for the patio? We go, no, of course not. We got to just do it. The rain lets up, everyone. So I'm driving there. I call the restaurant. Hi, I have a reservation in 30 minutes for Kate Berlant under four. I was hoping it might be possible to sit at the outdoor. at the table by the outdoor fireplace the round table he says we are not able to hold tables however i will do my best and i kind of went okay game meets game oh my god you're making me work for it you're playing hard to get and that's fine i step on the pedal there's actually a good impression of of the um of that guy because really i spoke to him when i arrived the the host for the night because i was like it's kind of sticky almost right because i was like i was like hi i I was like, we're here, you know.

29:44What happened? I never heard. I know. I'm going to be joining a group like, you know, like, hi, we're here. The reservation's under, they're not here yet. The reservation's for under Beland. And she told me, this is actually hysterical. Because actually, in a way, it was a false report and he knew it. Okay. I'm realizing. Without, because you told me like something like. A false report. Oh, no, wait, wait, wait. Sorry. Now we got to go to the books. Okay. Okay. Because you said, you said, you go, make sure when you get there. you go the reservations under four i think you said something like i reserved the four top by the fire fireplace right yeah and i go i think and and so i interpreted it as i thought we were just we had decided in the morning fuck it it's fine we're gonna eat inside and and i made peace with that okay and and chris and i go in and you know and whatever i've got the text right right Give it to me.

30:36Give it to me. Give it to me. And then I'll tell you what happened. Okay. I, this is so cute. The text above, because I was like, oh my God, I can't wait for dinner. I'm so hungry. And you said, already scared. He said, already scared. It's going to be over too soon. But Chris and you could probably implement standing res. Penciled. Yeah. And then he got penciled in after, like, like to be like, you know, of course, free to, free to, Chris could manage that. Like I would, I would now look, I'm trying to get into reclining too. I'm trying to recline at the desk. Okay. So then I said, I called them.

31:11This is 30 minutes before the reservation. I called them and requested the round table by the fireplace. If you get there before us, it's under my name. You say, this is, you know, 20 minutes later. So I go in and I say, hi, my friend has the reservations for 400 Beland. My friend says she has reserved a table by a fireplace. I see no indoor fireplace because I was so thinking that this was all still indoor. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah. Of course you were confused. Understand the music of the mundane. What was the false report? What was the, what was the false report? Oh, sorry. So I go, I go, she, she was pretty certain about, she was pretty certain, like make, make sure that I checked.

31:52Like, like I'm basically like, she was pretty, pretty serious about having reserved that, um, fireplace table. Yeah. Yeah. When in fact, like he had, and he kind of chuckled, like, like I almost was doing a, like, you know, I almost, I was almost doing like a, like, like, and believe me, she's going to go nuts if we don't get that fireplace. Like, like, we all know it's very, it's very important if you get the fire. But like, I forget, I was trying to make a crack to not like sound like knowing nothing from your end. Just, just kind of like, just from his perspective, hearing it, I have to wonder, what did he think?

32:27Well, we're going to interview him. He'll be our first guest. But no, no, no, there's no sorry. But the point is, love the table, love the meal. We had an absolute blast. And then I didn't share this with the group, but there was a nearby table for Top. I think it was someone's birthday because they were very dressed up. And she said in a way that I thought was so cute. She'd never been there before. And I heard her say, I love it here. God, this is so beautiful. And I just thought, aren't we lucky to be alive and to take in? You know, we can be jaded. we can be jaded take in the patio get the patio table take in the patio when you can oh my god i mean and we wrote a prayer we all wrote a prayer anywhere okay it's called if you can manage el fresco you'd manage el fresco oh you go al fresco but but me going we wrote a prayer we wrote a prayer realizing people don't know what that means at grasse as you exit you can light a candle no we talked about this right there's an altar with candles and it's glorious in a prayer box and And Kate said she'd never know.

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33:28But Kate said she never. Some people don't know. No, no, no. I was saying a previous thing. We had discussed it. And you said you'd never done it. Like that you had kind of been like, oh, that's like weird or whatever. I do it every time. Okay. And it felt weird when I was there because it was packed and it just felt like. No, sure, sure. It was like horrible, like West Hollywood music, like blaring. That's where you really need God. With much respect to WeHo. Okay. That's where you. So see, I love it. Okay. And I love, because really I feel, do I not feel closest to God right after dinner? I mean, let's get real.

34:01Floating out, right? Yeah, totally. It's like, it's one of the most, I mean, that is ecstasy. And a different energy of ecstasy headed in, you know, anticipation, whatever. But we go out and I start and we start, we light it. We light the candle. Oh my God. Anyway, but we sat at a low table because it was sort of a lounge table with a slight recline to the seating, almost a kind of patio, right? It was interesting. And I noted and you appreciated it. And I never forget when you appreciate something I say. Well, I appreciate so much. That it kind of gave us a privacy by virtue of being at a different level, literally, to be above altitudinous and altitudinous privacy.

34:48was experienced to be to be clear the table folks is lower it's which which creates its own some people go i don't like that because you kind of have to lean it's not the thing like you're a baby you're a baby in your high chair and the and the table is right there collecting crumbs that fall you have to be a little more strategic as you're getting the bites in because you're passing it over your lap a little bit sometimes you don't want that is the actual chair i mean is it fully in mild Trachtenberg. Yes. No, no, because Do you know what that is? I'll tell you about that after. You'll love it.

35:21Mild Trachtenberg, I think it's called. Or Trendleberg. I don't know what that is. What is that? A Trendle bed? No, sleeping in a sleeping with your, okay, you put like a brick under the foot of your bed. Yeah. The feet of your bed and lift it up so that blood is like rushing towards your head while you're sleeping. It's like recommend it as like a health trick for some but check with a doctor check with a doctor always mild uh trendleberg it was a dr regger mentioned go on go on go on point is well no no that that's really just about it no but i was just remembering that no but did the seat actually the seat was such a reclining patio chair yes chair that not just the back but the actual seat itself was it on an incline i think it might have been this is by the way i actually am the micro details this episode is the art of the what are you saying the art of the mundane no this is because this is this is the no no the because this is the music the musicality structure the chair structure of a dinner that they were not at this is and and without but i feel in me and we're bearing the lead we're bearing the lead on the dinner jacqueline so we're sitting there We're not talking about lounging while lounging.

36:40Are we? Oh, we are. Look at us. Look at us. We've seen once again. We're lounged. The visual art. Look how I've mirrored you now. Yeah. I'm leaning to the side with my head. Yeah. A series of diagonals. Okay, go on. Wait. What were you saying? Sorry. So we're getting there. We're sitting down. We notice there's a long table, two long tables. Some kind of event must be happening. And we go, oh, there's some event. First we go, oh, is this birthday? Baby shower? It's a bunch of broads, a couple of gay guys. We're going, what is this? And gift bags. Soon a real crowd forms. Soon we go. And there's almost a little bit of a, and I suggested we get a discount because they were so loud.

37:19Oh, yeah. He goes, I think we could. I think a round of drinks on the restaurant makes sense for this kind of. Because I go, we're adding atmosphere. Making these fuckos feel like they're in a restaurant, not just some heinous place they've rented or something. So then we start to go, oh, the gift bags. What is this? we start to realize this is a beauty influencer event or something and we can't believe it we're going how could it be on the night that we're there it's it's shocking well we go oh my god we go we start going um what did you say they don't even know like they don't know and we weren't invited like and sure weren't none of them seem to know who we are but also it feels very strange.

38:04None of them knew. Definitely. One woman looks over her shoulder a couple times. There was one who looked a couple times and just, thank you. Okay. Thank you to her. It's not, not to be cruel, but it was on a top shelf event. Something was weird. Something was off. Everyone's, and then everyone goes around the table, stands up. Hi, I'm blank. I'm from blank. And I blank, blank, blank. While we strained here. And everyone's saying. While pretending to, I'm still having conversations among ourselves. That's always hard. It's always hard when you're straining to hear something and you realize that no matter how hard you focus you're just not gonna be able to hear it like like i thought if i quieted the mind yeah no no right my mind you rush to certainty you'd go i can't i'm frustrated so i would believe i would be if the two of us were doing this i'd be like okay don't doubt your ears like the subconscious it picks up all sorts of things i would insist for longer yeah i couldn't really catch much but yeah i think the fantasy was someone's going to see us, someone else is going to whisper, there's going to be a whisper campaign.

39:05And they go, oh my God, they go, they go. The Pukos are here. The Pukos are here. I mean, we're celebrating, we're celebrating ourselves. Meanwhile. When our leaders are here, we would have invited them. We would have invited them, but we didn't think they would. No, no, no, how about this? We never would have invited them because we would never think that they would attend our event. No, exactly. That's what you're trying to say, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Like, you know, I don't know. It felt really meaningful at the time. And, you know. Like so many things. Maybe this is a good time to talk about because it keeps popping up.

39:42My desire for, this is a real Christmas. Let me see if I can pull it up. Is it eight sleep or sleep eight? I know, we got to get that right. This is a begging eight sleep. And when you go there, what is it? Pod five, by the way. pod five core what what oh my god look look quick look at it ate sleep do you see how it came down she's sharing her screen folks okay do you see how it she cannot help it rests down on the bed so you can have your own mattress because it really doesn't it if you just saw that you'd think it was an entire system and you need a new mattress no yeah that's the thing about warranty 30 30 night risk trial the pod four previous gen tech do you want should we should we for fun just go down and get a little get a little dopamine on a product you want to hear what this thing does yeah how the pod works okay sleep the way you were meant to well imagine that shop the pod your whole bed on autopilot what could that mean from the cover that adapts to your body to the blanket and pillow cover that extend comfort head to toe all right all right let's get to the let's get to this machine that rests at the side of the bed and see what that does 86 degrees on her side 67 on his side.

40:56That's crazy. Whoa. Meaning that it's adjusting the temperature based on the body on top. On two different sides, yeah. Cooling and warming for two zones. Why would you want it to warm if your body's too cold? Yeah, I guess. Fascinating, okay. I mean, maybe you're someone that clinically proven to increase deep sleep. That's a very good point. Cools to 55, whoa, warms to 110. Jesus. this adapts as you sleep based on heart rate and more it's pretty interesting now all i care about is preferred by nine oh oh my god preferred by nine out of ten extreme temperature sleepers extreme temperature sleepers now don't you get like another 10 years added on to your longevity estimate if you sleep at 55 degrees or something you've seen that right stop you've never seen 55, that seems extra cold.

41:4955? Seems freezing. Are you sleeping naked? These are my, I ordered these. These are my blanks. Do you see them? These are my blank puffs. Oh. Okay. You're going to soak them with product? I'm going to soak them with product. I'm thinking of doing it with, where'd it go? With Time Revolution, the first essence enriched. Classic. You're going to pour it in and then for travel? I'm scared. Do I dare? You know? I'm scared. What if it doesn't react well with these natural cotton rounds or something? What if it's soaked? You don't worry about soaking up too much product, wasting product? Well, I worry about all sorts of things, you know.

42:25But I like to challenge those. Oh, that reminds me, actually. Wait, do I have my phone with me? Because there is something I recorded to share with you. But yeah, no, I'm not. This one's too thick. I can feel it. I don't know. I bought these like a year ago with big plans. And I haven't yet done. You know what I think I need to do? You know what I think the move is? I think I do it with something that's cheap, but good. So it would be like one of these really cheap natural essences, right? That's the thing I should do it with this. Get a bulk, you know what I mean? Like a vat of rose water. Yeah.

43:00And then do that. And then these will be my little rose water rounds. But I was thinking, you know, you're saying you're breaking out while working out. doesn't it seem like so go clean right you go clean i go clean but you're not washing your face in the morning right like water only in the morning right so maybe that's what i need to do you're saying use cleanser in the morning well maybe you actually should yeah maybe you should cleanse before your workout you're a fucking genius and then if you well actually you start with that see how that does you then i would also make sure you're actually washing your face after not just like splashing it even if you're not going to shower like at the studio or something yeah you know so bring your cleanser like me you know i have my bag of goodies king of the locker room they call me now that's a joke um but i was just imagining if you had a couple of these in class with you during the class you had your own drenched yeah halfway through the class wipe wipe wipe well i was thinking about taking hypochlorious maybe that that would be the next level.

44:04I think an easier level is hypochlorous spray, just having it. But then you're sort of, you're spraying it. It's mixing with the sweat. There's no wiping it away off happening. I'm just imagining. Oh, that's interesting. But I think sweating, sweating off of a truly like of a cleansed face pre-workout that, that does seem like it could do something. That seems good. Also, I think a big part of it is hair product. I'm going to try that. Any hair product, let's just say, right? Cause it's like, if it's along the hairline, But it's not on the side. It's not on the hairline. Oh, where is it? Chin.

44:36Jaw. People are going to go, well, that's hormonal, Kate. I don't know, babe. Okay, listen. I have to go. It's no easy way to say it. This could be a real re-listener for some. In the way that I'm about to start watching Masters of the Air for a second time. No, that's very different. What's that? It's like a Spielberg World War II Air Force pilot. like a 12 part drama and it's like i think it's gonna be oh it's gonna be a comfort watch i can't wait to tell you more about it all right i love you all right love you bye love you

45:31Thank you.

From the publisher

The hags are back, lying prone in mild Trendelenburg. Jacqueline tests competing wearable devices at once. Kate forces community at The Grove, where leopard abounds. Hens clucking about chair structure? It’s the music of the every day. The hope of a whisper campaign, trusting the ears to guide. Two couples, four Oaxaca bowls. A vat of rosewater, King of the locker room, and extreme temperature sleepers. Are we closest to God right after dinner? Scrambled brands and a false report. 

 

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