Living in Chicago – Windy City Atmosphere

You’re listening to the DJ Doran show adoring Omni media production. Warning. The DJ Doran show contains adult language, mature content, cerebral debate and thought provoking conversation. listener discretion is advised. Call three one to 2352281 to be a part of the discussion. That’s 3122352 to eight one.

00:34

And now Chicago’s perspicacious post of yours same radio obsession. DJ Doran.

00:46

Welcome everybody. You’re listening to another edition of the DJ Doran show. I am your host DJ Doran and I am so excited to have two of my favorite people in the studio with me today. So one of them is of course my husband Joe Say hi. Hi, and tell people who you are. I am Joe from Joey’s world. I am a trained chef. And my website has recipes, how to use cooking ideas, and soon to come his cooking videos on YouTube channel. Okay, and so we also have Jenna from one of Chicago’s favorite comedy, dating podcast menasha pod. So Jenna, tell our audience a little bit about who you are,

01:32

guys. So that was a nice intro. Thank you for that. I have a podcast, which you already said combinatory pod. It’s about dating, sex relationships here in Chicago. I am a single lady in her 30s We won’t say whether it’s early, mid or late 30 but I’m in my 30s dating after a divorce and so like what that landscape looks like and what people are dealing with and it’s just a bit of a shit show. Can I swear on this?

01:59

Yes. You can

02:01

record I almost started singing Single Ladies when you said.

02:05

So yeah, so that’s me.

02:07

I don’t know what else do you want to know? That’s it. So today’s show, we’re gonna be talking about what it’s like to live in a big city. And why all of us who live in downtown Chicago, why we love Chicago. And we’re gonna add a little bit of an element to this show, which was not planned, but I want to expand on it. And I want to talk to Jenna about what it’s like dating. What are the men like, Oh, yeah, we’re gonna and we’re gonna reveal to you how we’re gonna really explore this. We’re gonna name names. Oh, no, and we’re gonna and we’re gonna talk about penis sizes and deep I mean,

02:42

as far as how

02:45

much time is we have, we’re kind of on lockdown. So we’re here. Oh, yeah,

02:48

I have so much to say.

02:50

And so much that I have a podcast about it. And we’re gonna be talking to Joe Morales who’s going to talk about the food scene in Chicago and what he’s developing and some of the Things that he likes to, to cook and share with his audience. So don’t go anywhere. Make sure you stay right here. We’ll be right back. You’re listening to the DJ Doran show. All right, well, we’re back. And I’m DJ and I’m here with Jenna. Jenna, can I say your last name? Sure. I’m here with Jenna gris, the hostess with the mostess on her own dating podcast right here in Chicago. And it is hilarious. So you make sure you go and take a listen. You can find it on Apple podcasts or on their website. menasha. pod calm, right. Yep.

03:29

Is that right? Sure. I mean, you get your podcasts. And then

03:32

of course, my own husband. I’m a little bit biased. Joe Morales, and he’s going to talk about how delicious food is in Chicago. So but before we begin, I want to talk about Chicago. Yeah, the second city. So why, Jen, I will start with you. Why a single woman now a single woman in a big city. And what do you love the most about Chicago?

03:53

no fucking idea. When it comes to dating. It’s the worst. Although I’m pretty sure everyone says that everywhere they live. So who knows?

04:01

But just like generally speaking, I came from a suburb so I’m from Maryland originally so I wanted to be in a big city but I wanted to be in a livable big city in New York I went to school there and it was great when I was a child but it’s a hard city to survive and and at some point you just don’t want to struggle it’s crowded it’s expensive as all those things in Chicago was like the next best place for me to be in order to do what I do. I’m an advertising my day jobs and advertising and so for me to be here it was either like major cities so New York here or LA and unpopular opinion like just do not love la can mean not green juice kind of gal. It’s not my as an East coaster. I’m like, you guys are fucking that but I can’t do it.

04:46

The first time I met somebody that had pec implants. I was like, I gotta get out of here.

04:50

Yeah, well, I wouldn’t mind packet boom.

04:54

Same thing, but no, I’m pretty sure they’re a little bit different.

04:57

Okay, fine. Well, anyway, so that wasn’t really my scene in Chicago. It was like the next place good place to be for advertising. And it’s an amazing city. So coming from the east coast, it was like it gave me the best of both worlds of like that city vibe a little more spread out a lot more spread out than like a New York. But the people were nicer. So you got like that like cool vibe with like good shops, good restaurants, and a lot of culture, a lot of things to do. And it was also mixed with like, the nicest people ever, because you’re still in the Midwest. So it’s kind of like that. It was like a really fun balance for me. Like, I remember that. My first day here. I am back from New York and moved here and I was like, I was going to get cleaning supplies at the 711. And there was a super nice guy who worked there who like of course, you know, I like to make friends with everyone. So he was lovely. And he kept he kept saying when I was in there trying to get cleaning products, he’d be like, uh, did you just move here? What’s your story and we were like having a whole conversation about it and he was like, Listen, I want to give these two as a welcome Present. And I was like, What do you mean a welcome present? And he was like, well, you just moved here. I think I’d like to help you out, which I thought was the nicest thing anyone would ever what was the

06:09

present though,

06:10

was just like my groceries like my, like cleaning supplies and stuff that I bought them. And he was like, Yeah, he was like a 711. And he was like, I own I own this place. I just want to give it to as a welcome to Chicago. And I thought, oh my god, that would never happen ever in New York. I mean, maybe but I didn’t know those people know. You know, so it was nice. And so it’s it’s a best of both worlds. Right? It’s like this really cool city with all the stuff that all these like amazing restaurants and stuff. And, and yet, everyone’s super, super nice. So for me, it was like a good mix of everything that I wanted. So I don’t have been here now. 13 years, a long time.

06:44

Well, you know, Joe and I have been here, but we were here from 2009 to went when 2008 2009 2008 for what two years. A year and a half, a year and a half and then the financial crisis crash. So we had come from Portland, Oregon. Where I, we were living at the time, but I’m from New York originally. So I, I moved the east coast to the far west coast to Portland and I was there for 13 years or whatever. And, and then we decided we wanted to get out of there. We wanted to go to a city and we said, You know what, I don’t want to go to New York. Let’s go halfway, a little bit more than halfway. And let’s see what Chicago is like. And we came to Chicago and it was beautiful. We really enjoyed it. And then 2008 2009 happened, the economy collapsed. You met me and we met you at the dog. Well, I met you at the dog park. And at the time we had we were sold, you’re like I can never leave you never leave again. Well, we had at the time we had Bang 175 pound bull Mastiff, who was a big baby and you had those Cooper and what was the other one?

07:47

Oh, Roxy, Roxy her and I’m a terrible mom.

07:50

Yeah. And they watch shit Sue’s or something. And we met and because I’m like you We just talked, started talking to each other and Fang went to sleep. I believe it was roxies but not burst. Oh, maybe Cooper’s I don’t remember but maybe Cooper and he stuffed his big head I didn’t you know, ox on his on his butt and flip them over. And from them we became friends and we’ve been friends. We’ve been friends ever since. And then of course I met Jenna first cuz Joe didn’t like to go out to the dog park and it was cold and all that sort of stuff. So we would go out and we would talk and watch the dogs play. And that’s where we met Mr. Belvedere

08:27

and him thinking about him. Mister What happened to him? We should try to find him Mr. Belvedere had a dog And he was super

08:33

hot so it was so high to go any of them

08:37

you ended up seeing you might remember that the only reason you came out one day was just to meet him

08:41

to meet Mr. Belvedere. Yeah, I don’t remember but yeah, so Mr. Belvedere was pretty hot. He was very he was dumb as a box of rock.

08:49

God it was but that’s how they all are other really hot ones Really? Fucking I

08:52

mean usually. Yeah.

08:54

But he looking at you, Joe.

08:57

box of rocks. I’m done.

09:01

But we, we would then meet at the dog park and then we were talking everything and then we became sort of like your surrogate family in the beginning and you come over to our apartment in your pajamas and we cook for you because you never know which what has changed. Nothing’s changed in 13 years or whatever. They are in their pajamas. No, kinda kinda. Yeah.

09:21

Just like I never changed out of these like workout clothes. Absolutely. Yeah. So new ones every day. I’m not like homeless, but yeah, I pretty much

09:29

so that’s fair, though. It’s like since the whole you know, COVID crisis. I’ve kind of been wearing my sweats for like, and he doesn’t say he hasn’t showered like he doesn’t shower every day.

09:39

Yeah, well, I at least do that. I don’t put on real pants but I do shower.

09:44

Anyway. So um, so we’ve been we’ve been friends for 13 years. Yeah, it’s been a long time and you know, and and we left Chicago. And then we bought a 60 foot sailboat. And we lived on that for three and a half years and we traveled Little bit more after that, and then the world conspired and we reconnected and we came back and now we’re back in Chicago we live right across the street from you back because you can’t go that much further. We cannot go that.

10:12

I really wanted you to be my neighbors. But um, no, that’s rude. You weren’t and this is good enough. This is

10:18

actually Italy we’re right across the street but God say now,

10:21

anytime I need an adult I call them

10:23

Yes, she calls or Hey, can I get a ride to the grocery store? Or can I take get a ride to take miles to the groomer?

10:32

Or I haven’t been able to shut this window in three days. Yes, I’m gonna call

10:35

me to come help me the other day the

10:38

other day, but

10:40

or there’s a spider you need to come kill it. Or Excuse

10:43

me? I kill my own spiders. independent woman. Thank you. That’s

10:47

right. We’re talking about 2020 2020

10:50

Jenna kills her own fucking spider.

10:51

Yeah, it’s not like

10:52

kinkos or Windows, but she kills her own spiders.

10:55

What are these bugs from? Where are they coming from? Remember that whole episode sewed

11:00

from the porch from the poor haven’t gotten a screen door. Yeah, ma’am.

11:05

Yeah, bullshit. So Joe when we’ve came to Chicago not have a screen door No, he went to went to work at home Bistro on Halstead and he was a sous chef there. And so Joe tell us a little bit about why you love living in Chicago. Ah, man Oh, Jenna

11:24

I know the selling point for everybody yes room like I understand but outside of me.

11:28

Yeah. But it’s just kind of caught me at a bad time. We couldn’t have this conversation like during spring or summer, late spring bear because you know, we have this COVID crisis so and it snowed the other day literally snowed the I know we were walking outside. It was a snowstorm. April, the middle of April. But

11:47

you love the city, though.

11:48

I do love the city. Yeah. Yeah. It’s like I always said that if I didn’t live on the east coast. Excuse me. If I didn’t live on the East Coast, I would totally live in Chicago. And I think when we moved here the Justice last time a couple years ago, I was like, I’m dying here. He said that I think that like I don’t mind we can have another place but I have to have a place in Chicago. I think I told my mom to I was like, I’m not moving anymore. I’m gonna die here. Mm hmm.

12:17

I’m on board with that, right?

12:19

Yeah, well, maybe I here sooner rather than later.

12:22

Well, here’s the thing. You guys say that. But DJ is very like restless. I feel like when it comes to settling into a place, I don’t know if that’s like your military background or what? But like, I just want you to settle into living here because to be clear, you’re not allowed to. So it’s on air. Mark the time it’s not happening.

12:48

Well, actually, here’s the thing is I am restless because I’ve never really lived anywhere for more than three years because of my military is not true. Because you know, you lived in Portland for a while that I lived in Portland, Portland was like one of the longest places I’ve ever lived, but I lived by myself for a good part. And then I had a partner before, Joe. We weren’t married, but we were together five or six years before that I’ve never lived anywhere more than three years. I always was three years, moved three years moved three years move. And then once Joe and I got together, we lived in Vancouver, Washington, but after that, I had that restless leg syndrome. restless car syndrome. And you know, I just wanted I wanted someplace new and, and I was just telling Joe the other day, and before I get into telling you why I love Chicago, but I was just telling him the other day I said, the problem that I have is that there are parts of me that like all different geographies.

13:41

So people travel though, but I love a home base, you have a solid home base, and then you travel to those.

13:48

Well, I always, I always say I want to live in the mountains and I want to live in the desert and I want to live where it’s cold. And then I want to live in the tropics. For the record. I do not want to live where it’s Cold Chicago is good enough. Really? What this is the guy who says, oh, why

14:03

would you want to live in the desert? What do you do there? Oh, it’s beautiful.

14:07

It’s It is beautiful.

14:09

That’s your selling point. Swimming pools. You know, we have those here, right?

14:12

Yeah, you can use them three weeks out of the year.

14:16

I mean, let’s get real. So, uh, but no, the desert is beautiful sunrises and sunsets are beautiful. There’s not a living in wide open spaces. It’s 80 degrees is low humidity, even when it’s hot. It’s not uncomfortable. Not like Chicago where it’s 80 degrees and 100% humidity and I want to kill Joe because he won’t let me have the air conditioner on you. That’s not true. That’s totally true. He puts it on I just complain.

14:39

Well, I do not have

14:41

to go outside to warm up.

14:42

Yeah, I mean, you put it it’s like an icebox DJ like

14:46

I need to be not like normal air conditioning. Yeah, but you gotta have I can’t breathe in that humidity I just can’t. So anyway, going backwards. I haven’t had pneumonia yet. During the winter, the window is open and the fan is going 18 years together, he’s no he’s never had pneumonia. He had nothing inside.

15:06

They’ve just killed him dead in

15:09

an empty shell. They just have a drink Joe.

15:15

So, both Jenna and Joe have Margarita. And our dog Oliver is in here to Oliver is our little adopted black and tan cocker spaniel who’s the cutest thing in the whole world. But he keeps tripping over all the wires to the podcast here. Well, and now he’s biting me right? You’re welcome. Yeah, he loves he loves it. Gentle, totally insecure. He loves his daddy, DJ,

15:33

and wonderful influence.

15:35

And we were terrible and you are terrible. And I

15:37

know I make Joe drink. I make him get him. I know.

15:40

And we’re going to talk about this in the second half of the show. But we’re going to talk about dating Oh God, which is not not really our normal topic, but we’re going to talk about it because we’re going to talk about how we try and prevent Jenna from making huge mistakes

15:59

huge Massive mistake,

16:01

massive mistake.

16:02

I don’t know. I mean,

16:08

that’s right. Yeah. You never call him and said, Hey, I need to talk to you about this. You’re like, if I call Joe, he’s like, Oh, yeah, you should go to bed with him. Here’s

16:14

what happened. He’s cute. Just like my parents. I know who to go to for what? So I went, we have a group text, and I’ll put a lot of stuff in the group text. And then sometimes though, I don’t want DJ to know, sorry, forgive me. He’ll give me like real solid advice, like a like a dad. And sometimes I just need someone to be like, yeah, you should totally

16:37

talk and

16:42

then I got embarrassed. And so then I just

16:46

text Joe and he was like, absolutely. After

16:52

you text him this photo of like this shirtless guy that

16:55

Oh, no, it was a tic tac and that’s, that’s your latest And I learned I said to him, I was like, I think I just got pregnant.

17:03

Yeah, I said, I think I did do that.

17:06

That’s Joe and Jenna, but for me, she’s like, DJ, this guy just disrespected me on this and that and I want to go and find where they look. Right?

17:16

So this you want to go find where they live? I will not. I’m not enabling that behavior. No, you’re not. I am choosing

17:22

that on my own. Okay, so anyway, we don’t want I don’t want to go too much into that because that’s the second half of what we’re talking about. So right now I want to talk about why I love Chicago. So I grew up in New York, I lived I grew up on Long Island. I lived in Manhattan at 79th in Western Avenue. I lived in a little town called Nyack which is just up the Hudson River and I lived a little bit further north near Poughkeepsie and, and I love that area. You know, I love the East Coast, the history of it, you know, like the Hudson Valley. That’s where Sleepy Hollow took place, a kebab crane and all along there is a Disney show. Mm hmm. They’re all Long there is is all that history. So I love that that part of the East Coast and anything you want when I lived in New York City. Jenna, you mentioned it earlier, it’s a little bit edgy, it’s a little bit rough it is. But once you get used to that once you get into the rhythm of it, and you are part of that rhythm, it is like this. It’s like no other city, you could be exhausted. But the minute I would cross the George Washington Bridge and get into Manhattan, especially the Upper West Side, and on the West Side Highway. It was like getting a shot of adrenaline. And I was wide awake. And I was just telling this to another person the other day I said, you know in New York, I would work all day come home, take a nap, have dinner, take another nap, relax, watch TV and then go out. Yeah, and nobody went out before like 11 o’clock. That was like not a thing you don’t you didn’t meet unless it was for business. And but in Chicago it was it’s different. So Chicago when we first moved here I thought oh, this is like a borough city. Right, it’s 3 million. Yes, 3 million people there 1213 million people in, in the five boroughs. And, and the difference is is that, to me is that Chicago is broken up into neighborhoods. And so it felt like we could live in an area where it was like a neighborhood with green space and parks and everything. But a 10 minute drive down Lakeshore drive, and I was in off of Michigan Avenue downtown right in the heart of the city. Where New York is you have Central Park and you have Riverside Park and you have some you have Gramercy Park and you have some other parks, but most of it that’s why they call it the concrete jungle.

19:37

But they all have different I feel like here, every neighborhood has a different feel, and like tone and personality to it very much like New York.

19:46

Yeah, New York has a lot of different neighborhoods Chelsea, not the same as Midtown or Tribeca or anything downtown, the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side and and you know, whatever. It but it is edgier, and I think it’s Mainly because New York truly is an international melting pot,

20:04

very white here in the Midwest,

20:06

right? And there’s so many different cultures and so many different things. So it can be a little bit edgy. And it can be really overwhelming and unforgiving. So if you if you hit your rhythm and you can keep up with that rhythm, you’re gonna be fine. But if you stumble, you get run over. Yeah, easily.

20:23

Well, that was part of the reason I really like Chicago was that it’s a livable city. So like, I don’t know, at a certain point in my life, I just didn’t want to have to hustle like that anymore. I already had to hustle my career. The last thing I wanted to do is also have to like have six roommates and for like, some tiny ass apartment, like it’s just not the way I like to live. And at some point, it’s nice to be able to move to a place that has a city vibe, and then still be able to live like a relatively comfortable life. Yeah, I mean, I feel that way about San Francisco. It’s not just New York like

20:55

sandwiches where you also need like six roommates. Yeah, you need six roommates and You need a Pell Grant and you need to know alone to make your rent. So that was the other thing I was going to say is that when I lived in the Upper West Side, I had a one bedroom apartment right facing a 79th and West End. So it was a corner apartment. I got a little sliver of a view of the Hudson River. So but they sold that as a river view. So that adds another $500. And, and it was a it was a nice apartment, but it was nothing fancy. You know, nothing fancy. Yeah, but way back then I was paying like $2,000 per month. Yeah, that was, uh, let’s see, we’ve been together 18 years. That has to be 2530 years. No more than 30 years ago, I was in my, I wasn’t Yeah, I was it like 2829. And, and so that was more than 30. That’s 30 years ago. And, and, uh, and so now that apartment is probably 6000 $7,000 a month, and it’s not just the rent. To move in. You have to pay a key fee. broker’s fee, a superintendents fee, a moving fee. I mean, by the time you were done, you’re paying 10 $15,000, just to move in. And that doesn’t even include deposit. So when we came to Chicago, I was like, This is totally affordable and doable and manageable. And truly, if I worked at Starbucks, and you worked at Starbucks, combined, it wouldn’t we wouldn’t be living high on the hog. But we could still live in the city. Whereas we couldn’t live in the city. Because even to me, yeah, here in Chicago. Totally. So so. So that’s why we sort of said, All right, before we go to New York, because Joe always wanted to move to New York. And so I said, let’s move close to New York. Let’s try a mid sized city and see how it works. Well, turns out we love it. And we live in Lagos. So can you count Chicago as a mid sized city? Well, yeah, it’s the third largest city in the country. I

22:52

know. But it is what’s number two, San Francisco,

22:54

la la. La is so spread out. I don’t consider that. Listen, I hate it. Like to I mean, as

23:00

an East Coast I have a real problem.

23:02

I know but the weather so no but the needles in the on the beaches and the homeless. And I when we lived there we lived there for how long? We’re in Redondo Beach. Two years. No. A year, six months, was it six months, it seemed like a fucking eternity. I swear to God, I told you one time I said if one more person tells me they’re an actor or has a pilot, or whatever, I am going to lose my fucking mind. I

23:25

know when I was there for work, because my day job is advertising and like media, when I was there for work, because that’s where we’re headquartered. I would have to take Ubers to go into the office and every Uber driver I had asked what I did for a living and when I said media, they were like handing me their their headshots.

23:44

Yeah, no, I was like, it’s not that kind of like I’m not in charge of that like, but thanks, man. me naked one. Sadly, no, I was waiting for someone to like write their phone number on it or something. But that didn’t happen to me.

23:57

Well, I didn’t. I’m telling you. I’m one of the people that I did. Not like Los Angeles at all whatsoever any shape the only thing that was kind of good was we live right on the beach. But you couldn’t even walk on the beach because the fucking homeless pissed on everything. Well, it always smelled like urine on the sorry, but they do that here. I know but I’m just saying not on the beach here

24:16

and barefoot on it not shoes on and

24:19

I went to I went to Santa Monica Pier. I think it was called Santa Monica Pier. I think with the Ferris wheel is that Santa Monica

24:25

Pier there?

24:26

Yeah, there’s so many homeless people. They it smelled like pee the whole thing. And I was like, that just wasn’t the ocean because sometimes No, it was that. But and then of course in Santa Monica Park. There’s homeless everywhere. Everywhere. Yeah. So you know, my I just didn’t care for it at all. I was like, You know what, I could go to so many other places and get this and not have to deal with all this. But But what I liked about Chicago was it was it checked off the boxes of everything that I wanted. So I wanted to live in a city I wanted to live near water. I wanted to live near green space. And I wanted to be close to New York. And so, what before COVID I could go out where we live literally right on the lake. And you look, if you look out the studio during the day, you can see Lake Michigan and the beach right there. And, you know, 500 yards is a sandy beach in the summer. And there’s so much to do in the park in the summer. And, and if we ever wanted to go downtown, it’s either a drive or or an Uber downtown very quickly. All the neighborhood festivals like bucktown and and

25:35

many of

25:36

you know, Ukrainian village and they have these festivals and street fairs and food truck socials and we don’t get to do those this year. I don’t know. Yeah, we’ve been robbed but but the quality of life and so that’s why Chicago is important to me. And why I like it. It’s it’s the quality of life. New York has everything but I couldn’t have Have the quality of life that I have here, bear and afford it.

26:04

Yeah, I mean, I remember when I moved here, people said to me they were like the winters here sucks so badly but doesn’t matter the summers are so amazing that like, it’ll make you want to stay and I was like you guys are all high because it’s three months out of the year that you’re gonna sell me on for this stupid city. Are you insane? They’re right. Yeah, they’re so right and I don’t get it. I didn’t get it before I moved here and then I was like, okay, but here’s the thing that I noticed about the winters here because like my dad and I have this conversation. He loves to play it. My parents live in Florida. They retired there a couple years ago like all the old people on the East Coast do on the beach. Only in Jacksonville not by them and I literally I text them today and I was like, do not do in all caps. Do not do it. I know it’s nowhere near you but do not do it because you know you guys are next. Hit anyway. I think my dad loves to play this game with me where He plays the weather game, which is really unfair fucking game when you’re playing with somebody who lives in Florida, because they’re always gonna win on like the well unless it’s summertime because then it gets too damn hot there. But um, no call me and be like, how did you survive the winter like, you know what, it’s fine, because even when we had that polar vortex it lasted. What I’ve noticed is it lasts for like, maybe at most a week of like, you don’t want to leave your house, I want to hibernate, it’s too cold, but then it warms up and the sun will come out and it’ll go to like a normal winter temperature like 3040 degrees, and then we’ll get cold again, right, so you get a break. And the same thing in the summer when it gets really hot in the summer. And you can’t deal with it any more than you’ll get a break for a couple days and it’ll cool down a little bit. So I don’t know if you guys have noticed that but it’s the only thing that kind of gets me through this winter that we have. Also with Uber Now, we all know the segment jam and I haven’t taken public transportation in six years, maybe five years. So If I don’t have to walk something and sweat or freeze, I don’t even notice it anymore. The only time I notice how bad the weather is when I have to walk it off, right, right, because like I’m not out in it. I’m not out like walking around and if I don’t have to,

28:13

actually, that’s my favorite part is like, literally, the summers are absolutely amazing. And to be honest, even like, of the fall, the first part, yeah, it’s absolutely amazing. Like, somebody had asked me one time they’re like, describe Chicago, cuz they’re, oh, it was. It was a Mexico tourism company. And I was talking to two women. And they are like, what’s Chicago? Explain what it’s like to live in Chicago. And I said, Chicago is literally in the, you know, I mean, in the middle of the country, Midwest, so just think of New York and LA mixed together. Yeah, it’s it to me. That’s what it’s like. Yeah. In the summertime. It’s beautiful. Yeah. Someone told me you know, I drive for Uber occasionally. Not anymore now though, but somebody told me that a little coffin it’s all over. Somebody once told me that in Chicago that the Chicago ins really they were from Chicago. Chicago ins love the fact that they have winter here because it keeps people away because they’re so afraid of winter keeps people from moving here. And what they don’t know is a secret jam is that Chicago in the spring in the summer? is awesome.

29:37

Did I was it was it me was I your Uber driver, I mean, passenger, because I’ve said that before, I think this city. The reason we’re not New York, which is overpopulated and dirty and all those things, because they’re overpopulated living on top of each other. Everything’s expensive. It’s hard to find apartments, all that kind of stuff, or not that because we weed out the weak here because if you can’t make it Through a winter here and you don’t like it, then they leave. And I think that’s the only saving grace as to why we are the way we are. In terms of like, and I can

30:08

see that yes, because a lot of people don’t want to deal with it

30:11

when we first got here. Yeah, well, you just get a nice ribbon, you get a nice cute puffy winter jacket, some winter boots. And then you have you have DJ who does all the outside stuff for you. And so you don’t live in a condo what outside so like going to the grocery store, y’all that’s what I’m gonna do that and

30:30

I’m sorry, I’m not married to you. I still go to the store with you.

30:33

Yeah, and go to the car. I just drive there online. I find that to not go Yeah, like other people in this room who shall remain nameless Joe, who basically just update this shared grocery list and he says, oh, did you check the grocery list? And then I noticed I didn’t get any white or red wine because I needed the white

30:52

like, I got it for cooking.

30:54

Oh, well, I got it for drinking.

30:57

But Margarita so I didn’t really Bring it over because I didn’t realize it was for cooking. No, no, no.

31:03

I mean, well, not for tonight, though. Not for tonight. No, but the white wine is technically like one cup or two. Yeah, it’s one cup for cooking four cups for Joe. That’s his. You can

31:13

tell that someone in this room doesn’t drink because that’s five glasses, and there’s only four and a bottle.

31:19

Oh, well, technically, I mean, but that’s remark.

31:23

But if he’s watching, you can technically squeeze five out of it. Really? Absolutely. Yeah, cuz apparently I have these non non non agree weight, but then I call that he apparently thinks that like if I flick my eyebrow a certain way that I’m judging him or something.

31:43

I see that.

31:46

There might be some truth to that. You act

31:49

like nobody in this room knows.

31:52

No idea what

31:53

that could be the case. Okay, so then no. So then speaking of that part. That’s why I asked Love Chicago cuz Benny’s is literally 10 blocks. Oh yeah Joe is in he is in love with Benny’s. He’s like do you want to go to a tasting every week?

32:09

To which I always say yes please yes and that’s why that’s why at home and that’s

32:14

why your friend of I I wanted to call him the Syrian but I can’t think of his name

32:22

I will cut out

32:25

Yeah, a nickname Nick edit that out edit that out part that was in this part two and part two. But your friend who probably now I’d lost my train of thought had him he’ll be listening. What’s his name? Oh, just just tell them hey, so for the person who wants to meet me for a covert mission? Well, to a certain realtor who’s an asshole. Hi. So I just wanted to let you know that I’m looking forward to meeting you too. I have a whole set of black clothing.

33:02

I’m just saying because you know, black makes you look thinner.

33:05

It does make you look thin. That’s right.

33:06

But of course the putty that I have my face and and the other night vision goggles,

33:11

right or like the full face mask, yes, you should be wearing for Corona anyway

33:15

that’s just like this ski imagine have a ski mask like and then night vision goggles. But anyway, I’m looking forward to meeting you. I’m sure that your lovely human and I love and you can bond after after doing your reconnaissance or during the Recon. Yeah, so anyway, of the real estate. I just want to let you know. Anyway, I love living in Chicago because it’s a livable city number one, and it’s a quality of life, you know, and when you’re younger and you’re making a way for yourself and you’re starting a career you want to be in the center of everything in New York really is the center of everything. But when like for me now I want to be in the center of things, but I want to I want a nice balance totally. And I feel like I have Here. So every time we think about leaving, we start thinking where would we go and we start looking at various cities and I’m thinking to myself, you can just stop there. It looks good on paper. But what is it really gonna be like?

34:11

It’d be miserable because I’m not there. That’s true too. I think that’s really honestly what we have to keep circling back to. of what makes Chicago so great.

34:21

is Jenna

34:22

is me. I love to think I am the center of the universe.

34:27

And you are for us. Oh, I was I just show up in my mouth a little bit, but that’s alright.

34:32

That doesn’t count because I laid the groundwork. I was hoping you’d say that. I did. That

34:36

he goes after the weekend. Well, let’s so true. Anyway, and you know what, I don’t have to say first of all, I will just say on air that Jen is like our little sister and we look out for her we make sure she eats to make sure she has a home cooked meal at least once a week. She comes over we have family night, and we and we Joe cooks up for dinner and we sit down and we talk about our days and you share things And

35:00

you guys are the only people I see I’ve seen during Coronavirus

35:04

because it’s safe.

35:05

Where we I and I’m a clean freak. Like today the woman at the grocery store like said something about the carts and I go, it’s fine. We’re a family unit, we shared germs in the same household, which we don’t but like pretty much. Yeah, remember when we were technically our baby?

35:19

Wait, wait, but before all this happened, who made fun of me whenever I went to the grocery store and I’d wipe the handle of the grocery cart, and my hands Oh, yeah, I did and all the way up to my elbow.

35:31

Okay, well, you’re not going to surgery. But like I understand I always wipe the cart to my mom. Hello. Top up Alma. Whatever that little Oh, yeah, baby diapers.

35:42

Yeah, but the first food? No, no, he would totally do that. He would put like, fruit food in there but like food, not in a bag. And I’m like, Oh, that’s disgusting. But now what the thing is, is what changed me as I saw a woman pushing a cart and she had a baby and the baby’s nose was running and he was pushing All in his hands and he was holding on to the handle and everything I was like that’s why I’m gonna do it oh ever since then that was a few years ago. I do that but but no I we that is one of the things when you talk about establishing roots is having relationships with people because once you start having relationships with people you can’t always take them everywhere you go it’s one thing in the military when you’re like okay I have no say in it hmm people yeah Person person Oh, it’s you can’t take them president you can’t take them with you but but you know, when you’re not in the military, you have a choice and so so instead of always moving because it’s always when you move you know, you’re you basically bug out and you sell most of your stuff because you don’t want to haul it. You know, I never had any momentum. Was it the couch? He

36:50

fucking take that thing everywhere. Yeah,

36:51

well, it’s a Restoration Hardware couch and just for the record for those of you that don’t know anything about Restoration Hardware, they are big, heavy industry. spensive so when we moved into this apartment, it wouldn’t fit in the fucking elevator it we don’t have a freight elevator so it wouldn’t fit. So guess what, we hired Otis, the elevator company to come out, and they wouldn’t touch the couch. But they would stand there while Joe and I loaded it on top of the elevator. And then I stood on top of the elevator holding on to the couch, while it went up 14 floors. I absolutely refuse to leave this $7,000 couch in the street, which is

37:30

bananas. I just told this story to somebody else. And they were like, for real like yeah, and the worst part is, is if they leave this place, they’re not gonna they’re not gonna even bother to take it with luck or you take it with you because like, we’re gonna have to fucking do that again.

37:42

I’ll cut it with a chainsaw. No, you won’t.

37:46

So I love Chicago and I love everything about like we go to the members of the zoo lights are beautiful. It’s my favorite thing to do. I think this year we go this year.

37:56

Why didn’t we go this year?

37:57

Why what happened was over my belief you win. This No

38:00

I did not go this year we’re gonna go with piece of shit Rob

38:04

didn’t show up didn’t show up. We had it set up. Yeah.

38:07

Like,

38:08

oh, you could use his name? Yes, we can use his name name. Yeah, Rob you What a disappointment. disappointment. I thought you were so much better. And you know what? I was sad. Joe was that Yeah, we liked you. So what the fuck you

38:25

know you did even after we broke up you got texts?

38:27

I did. Yeah. That was just uncool. Rob, you couldn’t do better. do better.

38:32

be better. Rob.

38:33

Yeah, we’re not mad at you anymore. We’re just disappointed. I mean, I don’t hurt Jenner again. I don’t think there’ll be issues. I’m kind of sad.

38:41

But anyway, so that’s what he was so cute. He was Oh my God. He was so talk about rockin body. Oh, and he and he had white he was if he was on tik tok. I totally Damn it.

38:51

He was on the ropes like okay.

38:55

Drifting, drifting. That’s what the second half of the show

39:00

I would just send you the pictures. This is what I’m saying anyone that I date, you are not safe or not safe.

39:07

You will what and I don’t even send them to my girlfriend’s. That’s the thing like, Tabitha, Katherine, they don’t get those pictures. I literally just send them to you guys. Yep,

39:16

yeah. And so she sends him to Joe because Joe.

39:20

Joe basically says, Oh, I would jump his bones and Jenna says Me too. And then I say,

39:25

Okay, let me tell you how it is.

39:27

And I say, I don’t like the way he nudges you at dinner or treats you like a bro? Yeah, you didn’t like that? Yeah. So that’s the two different perspective Joe’s like, Oh my god, what does it look like naked?

39:38

Yeah, Joe is my enabler

39:39

seriously.

39:43

But like, okay, so remember, I don’t even know where DJ was. But when when I went over to your place and Jenny was there. We had guy we have tasting Yeah, Benny’s, and then genuis showing me all her dick Pigs from what is wrong with you guys out there

40:04

saying that boys keeping up

40:07

generally don’t

40:11

get so many unsolicited sorry we’re so off topic. I know Jenny gets so many unsolicited dick pics. I don’t know what it is and I think part of

40:17

it is saved them in an album. I know.

40:23

Like dead pigs teepees? Yeah penis pictures like

40:26

not even covert about it. Um yeah Jenny way to go because it’s something that it must be like a vibe. Maybe that she’s i don’t know that i don’t get them often. I mean I get them nearly as often. Hi

40:41

guys, FYI, there’s nothing really sexy about a dick pic. There’s

40:46

my little girl. I was like what the hell

40:55

tell you as someone who’s seen numerous dicks in her life. Let me tell you they’re not I know I’m talking to two men, but they’re not like

41:05

I mean

41:06

and then just the thing that coming up bring it back to the rope Tick Tock video yeah it was so fucking hot yes he was like

41:15

cuz there wasn’t like

41:18

a smile

41:18

oh my god i just i

41:20

we all know everybody that’s listening to this knows that damn Tick Tock is all over

41:25

well but that that music right because that’s the whole point of Tick Tock is they all use the same music they all use the same sound bites and then they make it their own. I had never seen that that like I saw them like I saw like a bunch of men like shirtless like grappling and doing the do all those parts but I’ve never seen someone do it with rope before and then I was like my clothes fell off.

41:46

So did mine.

41:49

That to me is sexier than a dick pic.

41:51

I’ve also linked a video here. I want to interrupt you here. Let’s stay on topic about Chicago and then after the break which is coming up And not

42:00

about Chicago. He doesn’t live in Chicago. I think he actually lives in LA so 1.4 la.

42:05

Absolutely. I would give that a two points. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Okay, I’ll show you. I’ll show you that. I’ve watched it like six times since yesterday. Oh my god. Okay, so one of the things that people don’t know about Chicago and, and you know, I can always tell when they’re tourists because they’re like, oh, the Windy City because it’s so windy. today. It was windy today, but that’s not why it’s called the Windy City. Did you know that?

42:31

I didn’t know that. I did.

42:32

Yeah. So I think everyone that lives here should probably Yeah, and if you look here, they tell you Yeah, it’s because the politician was so long winded about you know, Chicago, Chicago politicians was so long winded that’s where it got to turn Windy City but but because it is windy because of the lake effect off of Lake Michigan. Most people just assume that it is his because of that. But can we talk about the lake actually because my brother always used to call it the fake ocean. But now I find that when I’m talking to DJ about the lake, I always reference the ocean and I mean, and then I go, I mean the lake. Yeah. Because Well, first of all Lake Michigan is a huge body of water. It has like huge waves. That’s the other thing too. And my sister came out and her wife You know, we went along the, along the lake and they were like, wow, this is like an ocean. You know? Because I mean, when you think of a lake, you think of water as a tide. But it is not. It’s not it’s like an ocean and today on a beautiful day, like today, it was a beautiful, greenish blue kind of color. It was spectacular. And I tell Joe, I said, I say you know, we live in, in, in Chicago, but it’s like living in a resort town. It’s like living in a resort location. We look out and you see we live right on the water and there’s a beach and it’s not just a rocky beach. It’s a sandy beach where people have played volleyball and they put palm trees out in the summer, and there are lots of half naked hot guys out there and pay

44:01

for that though they they bring that in every year. Did you know

44:04

that? Yeah, I do. And then and so what I’m just saying is that I did not buy our taxes are so fucking so cool The one thing I don’t like yeah the property taxes are really high but the quality of life overall is is still pretty good and you know when when when I analyzed all the different places we could live you’re right Jenna This is a great place to have a home base. I wish the property taxes were a little bit better I wish there was, you know an opportunity for to buy real estate and have it appreciate like it appreciates in New York. You know, what, 10 20% a year. We just don’t have that. That’s the downside. We have a great quality of life, but you’re not going to make it rich in real estate appreciation. But you’re not going to lose money either most of the time, except for some anomalies like in 2008 2009. And maybe now I don’t know, right. But, but I overall I really tried to sell their properties because of taxes already. So the taxes are really high. But Chicago’s very liberal city and Illinois, very liberal state. And so if you’re wealthy, if you make more than $250,000 a year, you get taxed pretty heavy, and there’s no real incentive for you to even buy a second home or to invest in a second business or anything. Because you’re taxed out of existence that I don’t like. Yeah, I don’t have to worry about that.

45:20

Yeah. Well, I right now, because, well, you know, I was just having this conversation the other night.

45:28

I think, what’s nice well, as a single woman, it’s nice to not own a place, because then I don’t have to do any of the work and pay the taxes. So I’m okay with renting. Even though I’m not sure it’s like the most financially responsible thing for me to do, but it makes my life a little bit easier. And I actually think maybe in the long run, I don’t know. I don’t know like, you know, I always hear horror stories about people who are like, Oh, my washing machine exploded and I had to replace the ceiling and replace it,

45:59

this and that and what Whatever, the furnace went out

46:01

everything, something I don’t even change my own lightbulbs z. My main man, my maintenance guy he loves he loves him. And he just takes care of me. I call him I’m like my light bulbs are out and

46:13

he comes in and he changes them. I didn’t know that. Yeah. So I don’t even do that. Our landlord doesn’t do that. Now when we were when we were before we moved to Chicago the first time we lived in a 5000 square foot Craftsman house in Washington state with like 20 mature bonsai trees in the landscaping. And so we have we would have a gardener come by and he trim these trees with scissors, hand scissors. That’s how meticulous but every day every weekend was consumed by landscaping, oiling the mahogany wainscoting on the interior. It wasn’t really because I didn’t do that. No. I should say every week. My dad yeah was

46:53

Yeah What were you doing

46:57

cooking

46:58

maybe maybe Like I always I always refer back to this time when it was Christmas one year. And I was out front and I was I do go a little bit Griswold at Christmas. And so I had all these layers of light, I have like five different phases of light. And I haven’t I haven’t planned out, and it was freezing cold. And it was freezing rain. So freezing rain is like rain and ice mixed, we get the hair together. Anyway, so I’m out there, my hands are frozen because you can’t wear gloves and connect to all the lights and make all the adjustments. So my hands are frozen. I’m up climbing up on a ladder, I’m now climbing up on our cedar roof. And I have what’s called what were they called? I don’t know, but Oh, I can’t remember the term outdoor stuff. But anyway, it’s, it’s essentially you strap on to your shoes and it has little spikes on corkers and they don’t you know,

47:52

touch your hand cuz we’re in the middle of a pandemic,

47:54

but true, actual high five, but I had these corkers on I’m walking on the roof and I’m making all these widgets. And I literally climbing up and down this metal ladder. I’m coming down and my hands are frozen and I stand in the front of the house to look at my handiwork. And there’s Joe and our daughter Courtney standing on the sidelines which of these glass panels on either side of our front door holding on to an hot cup of hot cocoa while I’m freezing putting up Christmas light record, somebody always says they never get cold.

48:25

This is true. I can attest to that. I never

48:27

get cold everywhere damn jacket, but I was cold because I was outside for hours. Second part was it had booze in it and it was hot. And I didn’t want to leave it on the porch where it would get cold because it would lose its effect.

48:40

Also, you’re not drinking the booze.

48:43

That’s cracker. Yes. Yeah. So I did. Yeah, so he did, of course, me more than me. But that the other day we went for a walk when I think it was like the day it snowed or the day before just two days in a matter, but we’re walking the dog and he’s In his vest and sweatshirt, and I’m like, No, I have my hat on. I have my gloves. I have my winter jacket on. And he’s like, well, I said the dog hasn’t pooped because he poops two times in the morning. And he’s said he’s only pooped once, so we still need to continue walking. He’s like, well, I’m freezing. I’m like, Really?

49:18

Then put on a jacket?

49:20

No, no, my hands were cold because I didn’t have the right gloves on. The resume wasn’t me wasn’t cold, but I don’t normally get cold. But I was cold that day. Anyway, but I love you know, like the winters in Chicago. They don’t bother me at all. But one thing I will tell you that will not bother me. We’ve done and I think over it, we go away in like in February.

49:41

Yeah, I think that that

49:42

like we go to Florida or somewhere if we can, and that breaks it up. But last year, we didn’t go anywhere and during the polar vortex. And so it just seemed like it was last year. Yeah. And you know, Jesse Smollett, I love I can’t even talk about that right now. Even though I am laughing. And clapping inside for what is happening, but that’s a whole other show. But not this one. You feel better? No, I do. I

50:06

like it’s like his own version of Tourette’s.

50:08

Yes. A little bit. But uh, the but I never really I love the winter. I like the cold. It’s my time of year. I can breathe better. I feel better. My skin is better. I hate the heat. I hate artificial heat worse than the regular heat. And when even when we go to Mexico, he goes well, I thought you don’t like the heat. Well, I like this kind of heat when all I have to do is walk to the pool. Yeah, that’s different. I don’t like the heat when you’re like sitting in your apartment and it’s it’s humid and everything is sticky. And you know how I am about that. I don’t like sticky. So I don’t like it. And then of course what happens is I end up taking like several showers and because I always have to feel freshly showered. And uh, and then we get into if you get into bed and if those sheets feel sticky, like because they’re damp because it’s humid because Joe doesn’t let me put the air conditioner on the way I want to. Then I go into a fit because I know that I’m not going to be able to sleep. I mean, let’s be real, you’re going to fit every day. That’s true to me and technology

51:14

can see my face because we’re on a podcast, but I feel like it’s very telling right now. Look, I give you all the time when you say things like this,

51:22

or when I drive past the park and scream out the window in the car and Dennis like, Don’t do it. Don’t do it. And I yell, there’s caution tape around there for a reason.

51:33

Yeah, I hid in my

51:35

video you took a picture of

51:37

this is what it looks like. Yelling.

51:42

I felt like the guy from Mean Girls when he was like you don’t even go here.

51:48

That’s what I felt like.

51:51

Yes, so I do know that. I’m very familiar with that.

51:55

Although accurate, accurate. You had a right to say that but I was embarrassed.

52:00

Yeah, cuz they only see the passenger side. Yeah, he’s telling they saw the driver side driver side. Yeah, cuz he went that way in that way.

52:08

But you know, I’ve dated all of Chicago. So what if I knew someone

52:11

that’s right. And of course I’m loud. So I rolled the window down, screamed at the top of my lungs, and then you know, he walks with me in the dog park, so they’re gonna see him again. Yes, this is true. This is this is it? Okay, so, um, that’s why we love to live in Chicago and Chicago. We love you. Sometimes. We don’t understand you, but we love you. So I’m loving it even more though with the COVID crisis and the Lori Lightfoot, I just gonna say those.

52:38

Did I send you that one with the Lori Lightfoot? It was like this is six feet. No, I didn’t send that banner on Southport. And so it was like Lori Lightfoot with like that look where she doesn’t blink because we all know she would like when the stand

52:53

literally scared me. Yeah, I don’t think she has eyelids.

52:56

I don’t think they move. Yeah, it’s really scary. So it’s like her staring Got him and then him sitting across and they like blurred out like it was like cut off like at his at his belly. Yeah. And then it had a line and then it said, this is six feet.

53:11

That was really funny. I’ll show it to you later. I was like, that was the best one. I’ve seen those memes have like, kept me going through this, I think.

53:19

Yeah, she totally. She kind of scared me but

53:23

but I’m telling you, this is the best thing for her and her campaign because she 100 they are totally just going for it. And I mean, she they, even the city of Chicago and Lori Lightfoot, have been reposting memes and she’s been repurposed yeah to and then they’re they’re so hilarious, though. Yeah. I’m just like, oh my god, these guys are awesome. But it’s just it’s too far. I just look at some of them like that. I’m looking at some of the Lori Lightfoot memes. There’s like one of her standing next to Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln. And I like this one other ones standing next. to Donald Trump says start with you get your ass into house. And then it says she has another one. She says, Sox fans don’t need practice to practice social distancing. They’ve been doing it so long if it were a sport they’d be MVP. Get it? I don’t either. I didn’t see the one though about the cubs. She’s like, yeah, you waited 182 years or something, right? Oh, no, just go ahead. No, no, no, no. Fucking sham. Wow, order it now get in the house.

54:33

I think they’re just very funny. They’re very clever. The Easter one was really funny too.

54:39

With Jesus, right, Jesus?

54:41

She’s like, I don’t think

54:42

so. Yeah.

54:45

Like I’m back. No, I like this one. Don’t get it twisted. This ain’t Florida. Get your ass back

54:51

there. There’s actually this really funny and I sent I’d love to send these to my mom, especially now that like Florida, let people back on their beaches. There’s this funny meme too. I sent to my mom, she she did not enjoy it as much as I did. But it basically said, like, if you had to pick any state, out of the 50 to throw off the planet, like to just get rid of, what would it be? And it said, like, what would it be? And why did you pick

55:18

and why’d you pick for?

55:24

DJ money? Yeah. Um, my mom did not enjoy that. But I was like, I mean, what is wrong with people?

55:32

So but did you see the governor the way the Florida Governor when he was trying to put the mask on? Yeah, he’s a moron. On Twitter. There’s a on Twitter. There’s a lot of gay men that I follow. And they posted that the video of him putting the mask on his face and they’re like, No, no, no, he’s got it right. Then the other strap goes underneath your balls. It was like, This is what Lori Lightfoot said some of you waited 108 years. For a Cubs championship, you can do this. Anyway, but I think that that she should that that is better than any PR campaign she could have paid for under percent. And whereas she was a mad about any of it either no one she’s actually been braced it.

56:19

They’re not mean spirited. You know,

56:22

I just think it’s the best thing for champagne. I kind of feel like they started out to be mean and condescending, but they literally took a life of their own. Yeah. And they’re just they’re hilarious.

56:33

Well, you guys make a meme out of me. I’ve always wanted to be made of me but like nice West.

56:39

Are you listening?

56:40

He has

56:43

nice ones West.

56:45

Nice ones, if

56:49

any of you, including us, he thought I was bad. All right. Well, listen. That was a great segment about why we love living in Chicago. And for those thinking about moving here don’t get don’t because of my rental race your random ran away and we don’t want the crowded beaches are already there plenty of people watch this episode of the DJ Doran show is brought to you by our friends at Joey twirled featuring chef Joe Morales as he eats and drinks his way through life sharing recipes, dining experiences and cooking tips Be sure to follow him at Joey’s world calm and on his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

57:46

So we’re gonna talk about dating in Chicago so I’ll give you a little bit of bit of backstory with Jenna and and how we got to this point. You don’t think she should probably give the backstory? Oh no, I don’t want her to relive it. So I’m gonna just say that That Jenna when we first met her was single. And she was dating this what we thought was a lovely gentlemen. I thought he had a lot of teeth. But he was nice. Always nice to me.

58:13

I was talking about

58:14

I know who Casey.

58:17

Max has been.

58:18

Yeah. When you when we met you, you were dating?

58:21

Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you meant like when you came back from San Fran No.

58:24

Oh, yeah, I’m going way back on the Wayback Machine. I don’t remember when you were dating him. I don’t think we lived here when you were dating. Yeah, we No, no, we did. We just came to town.

58:36

You came for my party. Yeah, Asian party.

58:39

Cuz I remember we went to some bar. afterwards. I remember. All three of all four of us had a high top and it was super crowded.

58:46

Anyway, that was like anytime you’d come to visit.

58:50

Yeah, we went to the boat show.

58:53

We went to the Boat Show Boat. Yep. Mm hmm. Anyway, and

58:56

she was dating him and then they got married and And they were living their happily ever after. Didn’t get married and then, and then it didn’t. It didn’t. It didn’t work out and as it happened, and I believe in all my heart and soul that the universe conspired for this. As it happened. We were living in Indianapolis, and we were desperate to leave that shithole. And, and I was like, I was like, Joe, I have to get out of here. I can’t handle it anymore. And so we wanted to go to Chicago. Remember, Joe, we were thinking about New York and some other things. And and I don’t know what how but I either I reached out to my dad, or Joe reached out to you. And we started talking and, and it somehow came about an option was for us to come to Chicago and live with you for a little bit. And it was only supposed to be for a few weeks. Mm hmm. Yeah, it ended up being six months or so.

59:57

Really, so you’re counting?

59:59

Well, I know Only because it was so for I’d like to back up the story because I could Yes, it was only just a couple weeks because they said, Hey, why don’t you guys come? Like I would look at places for you, but you’re not here. Like you should come and look at places yourself and like, stay with me. But what’s nice, what was really nice about it was that I look back on it in retrospect like going through divorces. No one ever wants to do that. It’s hard. It sucks. And the worst part of for me was the silence in the house. So like he and I had separated before we actually divorced for like a month and a half. I lived in the house without him and then I moved into the new place and then that’s when you guys

60:41

came. Didn’t we stay in the old place for like a little

60:46

weekend or something? Yeah. And I love I mean, that was like my dream home. I love that apartment. But it was quiet. It was really quiet. It was a hermit, but it was like a house. It was too big. For me, alone, and I don’t know. And so it was just really quiet. And I think that’s the hard part about like, there are a lot of hard parts about divorce. But that was a big, that was a big issue for me. And then when you guys moved in, there was life back in the house and it’s not silence, no more silence. I’d come home to people, I’d have a bad day at work, and I’d come home and everything was great. And we’d cook dinner and we’d drink wine and like, whatever. And honestly, like, my sister’s currently going through a divorce, and I look at it, and I think like, I was super lucky. I mean, she’s a kid. So that takes up some time. But like, I was super lucky to have you guys in the house because I think it made that transition for me so much easier, like in such a healthier way than I could have done it by myself. Especially when I started dating again, and I would come home and like, at the very least we’d have like the best debriefs and I laugh after such a shitty date. And then you know, there were other times when DJ wanted to be People up so it felt like a good yeah, it was a good healing process for me which I appreciate.

62:06

I think that we came back for a reason we moved in with you it for a reason. Looking back on it now I it helped both of us and and we needed each other for different reasons and so it worked out but more than that is we are family. Yeah. And so so we were there we looked out for me we didn’t want anything we never we were safe we you felt safe, we felt safe. And and so you could go out and date and know that you had a family waiting it back as a as a safety net, if anything went really wrong, and number two, somebody to talk about and to just get it out instead of instead of letting that poison sit in there. And by the way, because we seen so many of your dating things. We know that there are a lot of shitty people out there and elimination I didn’t you know, I personally, I don’t know about you, Joe. But I didn’t. I didn’t know. I haven’t been in the dating scene. Since Joe and I have been together. We’ve been together 18 years, but even when I was in the gay dating cemetery, and that is a whole 17 seems like 50. But when I was in the gay dating scene, I was known as the one our data because I just couldn’t. After an hour, you just know and you’re like, Okay,

63:22

that’s 2020 in China, and that’s

63:24

that. Yeah, that’s 2020 Jenner. But at the time, you weren’t 2020 Jenna and and so you were like, trying to figure out some stuff. And I think it just, it worked out and it worked out for everyone. But more importantly, it was like living in a comedy show. And a drama show, and a science fiction show. And a horror show.

63:48

What’s the science fiction?

63:50

Oh, yeah. Let’s see.

63:53

Were there people dressing up in like Comic Con?

63:55

Well, I just say science fiction doesn’t have to always be like very aliens. Very, very He’s or whatever else. But the heart about those No, but the horror show. I mean, you had some pretty good crazy Jeff. Oh, God crazy Jeff only needed some background music.

64:11

Yeah, well, you’re right, I did meet some crazy people.

64:14

And then of course, of course you know then it’s kind of funny because you’re so nice and so sweet and so you get better at that 2019 Jenna gave everyone the benefit of doubt. But

64:25

DJ Jenna doesn’t give a fuck

64:27

yeah, and DJ would always be like, you know, a plate.

64:32

Oh, yeah, he was he was my favorite story with you guys.

64:35

Yeah, so I want to, I want to say please tell us that I normally use I’m gonna let you tell the story. But I’m gonna say that could that qualify as the science fiction part that could be turned around like the Emperor, the Emperor? Yeah, so I’m gonna lay the groundwork and then you can take the story. So I am an early riser. And I like to get up and watch the sunrise and have my coffee. So when we were staying with Jenna, there was one time chair that was us. What do you call a swivel chair? And it had a gold pillow on it for decoration for decoration. I wasn’t allowed to sit on or touch but you did it, which I did anyway. So I get up in the morning in my robe and I’d have coffee, and I’d watch the sun come up, and I would rotate the chair face the windows. And Jenna on occasion when she went out on a date, you know, we never know because Joe and I are homebody, so we’re in bed by nine o’clock. So, sometimes there would be people overnight and this house and yes, in this particular role in her and this particular moment, there was a people in the house I was on people makes it sound plural. There is one person so Janet, tell what happened.

65:46

Yeah, so we had gone out we had a really fun date actually, like really fun date. We got super hammered. And

65:55

you know, I was pretty fresh out of a divorce. So a guy hadn’t like hooked up with someone, like really hooked up with someone and taking them home since my divorce. So for all my poor he’s fucking lucky Clayton

66:11

got the best of it. myself.

66:14

I mean, literally, he’s been calling you ever

66:15

since he really had still to this day. And so yeah, so anyway, so um, I we got really drunk at a bar and then I was like, fuck it, let’s go home. So we went home and I was telling about you guys during the night and I was like, so in the morning, we might have to, like, see sneak you out. Like, which is such a weird thing. Like it’s my house. But I’m like, I’m living basically with my parents and they’re gonna be in the early well one of them well, and yeah, yeah, you’re right. Yeah, yeah, I’m like, DJ is gonna be up early. I know it. We’re gonna have to like sneak you out the door. So anyway, we wake up he didn’t go to work the next morning anyway. We wake up it is pretty early, huh? Yeah. You weren’t even up

66:58

yet. I don’t know it was sitting 32 Yeah,

67:01

yeah. And um, I was like, I think they’re still asleep. Let’s sneak out and then open the door and I go, I smell coffee.

67:10

awake. Fuck, what are we gonna do? I’m like my mind’s racing and then I literally looked when I was like, dude, sorry, you’re not your man up like, this is my hot like man up and he was like Okay, okay, so we go out

67:23

and I didn’t see DJ at first. And so he’s like getting his shoes on the door. And all of a sudden with the noise, we see DJ turn around really slowly his backs towards us, and then turns around really slowly in the chair. He’s in his robe with his like, cup

67:43

of coffee or Star Trek cup.

67:45

Yeah, and he looks at him and he goes, You must be Clayton. And I was like, I just I’m mortified. This is like my dad, like

67:54

his face turn like, completely white. And he was like, yeah, it’s nice to meet you. And then DJ do the one thing you’re not supposed to do when you’re first dating someone where he walks up and he’s like, I’ve heard a lot about you. So you’re in real estate. And as I’m telling this retelling the story Joe’s like, why would you do that? You’re not supposed to tell them like, he’s supposed to know that she talks about him. I’m like, thank you.

68:15

Um, we had to lay ground rules after that. Yeah, really some glamour ground rules.

68:20

But it didn’t end there. It did not end there so uncomfortably. He was waiting for an Uber that took me forever to come. So we were all like sitting on the couch talking, whatever. Eventually. Poor guy has Uber came, walked him out, and that was fine. And then, like a week later, maybe we invited him over for dinner. But Joe was cooking dinner, and it was winter. By the way, it was cold out. And Joe was cooking dinner. What did you make? It was like Asians, right? What’s it

68:54

like pasta, pasta? pasta.

68:58

Um, anyway. He was like so complimentary of it. He loved the food and he I feel like he did. I feel like we were hard on him. He did a good job. We were really

69:08

rooting for him.

69:08

We’re a hard group though, like the three of us together, like these poor men in my life don’t stand a chance unless they’re like, stand up guys, because we’ll eat them alive.

69:18

But for the record, you were very nice. I liked several of your girlfriend. And the woman that didn’t mean several, several seems like he,

69:27

I mean, thinking like I made you mean

69:29

he shook hands like like with a cold face and

69:32

like I did not like that you were not anyone.

69:34

Any would look wouldn’t look me in the eye. Yes. But let him finish the story about dinner because that was the clincher. Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.

69:42

So it was winter. And he’s wearing a winter hat like a beanie. He had good style. I think he had good style. Um,

69:51

he did he did Clinton Clinton. You did you did. Clay and Clinton clean

69:56

and he was very, um, user stylish and I thought handsome. Me. Like I like to pepper hair. I mean, he was and he was tell. Yeah, he’s really good body anyway, okay, I thought

70:10

I saw his legs. The remember the day I was walking to the gym and I saw him and I was like, well, he has nice legs. Mm hmm.

70:15

Yeah. Um, anyway, so he, whatever. So we’re at dinner. And what did you say? Like we were just like talking. And DJ says something that he missed talk.

70:27

I know what he said.

70:29

He said, Oh Clinton, you Clinton. You I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I keep But anyways, he’s like Clinton, you can really pull that thug hat off. And so but it was Oh, yeah, but it was it was a compliment. Yeah,

70:44

I meant like, you can pull it off. Yeah. So

70:47

but like in Clayton was literally made him nervous. Yeah, he was mid fight of his food with his one hand and then his other hand just reached up, grab the hat. Pick it up. And took his hat off and I was like, that’s not actually what he meant. But oh

71:05

cuz here’s the thing DJ

71:09

super uncomfortable. We all notice all three of us

71:13

were like, that’s really

71:15

like there’s no going back from that.

71:17

No going back from that, but here’s the thing like I know you as like this like amazing loving, warm caretaker of

71:26

don’t edit that out Nick but also a dick.

71:29

But also Yes, post office. Yeah, I’ve seen it. Um, but I didn’t know it right. So you’re like this very um, you’re like this very like intimidating person. Because you’re because I will say this. You do get very like, maternal, paternal

71:48

maternal.

71:53

Around my guys, you get V like your chest puffs up. You’re like miles. You like your chest puffs. Oh my god. Right.

72:02

Yeah. And he gets very like protective. I love um, but it can be intimidating. He does.

72:15

Well and I tend to be direct and sometimes I don’t realize I’m being so direct. So, in that particular case, I didn’t like Clayton you did not like him like day one from day one. I told you that I said, I don’t

72:28

like his shoes. I didn’t like his shoes. I was

72:32

like, Really? That’s what you’re gonna and I didn’t like the fact that he shook hands. It was like shaking a dead fish.

72:37

Yeah, that’s understand

72:38

and so that was like, my, my thing and i and i know you well enough, so I know the kind of person you need. And he was not it. Now he may have had a rockin body and a big dick. And well, don’t edit that out either. Oh, whatever. But Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. A But if I knew that there was nothing there was no investment there.

73:05

Not really not literally

73:10

you’re right there’s no investment there but you liked I thought you liked Rob when you first met him You liked his handshake I liked

73:17

I liked his handshake and I tried to like connect with him. But Rob and I and I will say this to your face if I ever see you again, which I doubt I ever will but if I ever did, I will tell you that one thing I didn’t like is there’s no need to be a bro when you’re secure about your adulthood. You know, you don’t have to constantly prove how masculine are tough you are or what have you and around women. I personally and I told you this I said I personally don’t think that adult men should treat adult women like bros you know, where has and this is this is something you and I have talked about is where is the politeness where is the chivalrous pneus Where is it? The manliness Where is with all of that in how you treat an adult woman. You know, it’s like when you’re when you’re a tomboy, when you’re younger and you still finding yourself, then you’re like one of your buddies, right? But when you’re, when you’re an adult woman, and you go out on a date with an adult woman, they’re equal, and I’m all about that. But there is a separation in how you interact with each other. And I don’t want if I, if I wasn’t gay, and I was going out with a woman, I’d want to be the man in that relationship and open doors and, and be polite and say, Please, and thank you and make sure that you’re covered if it’s cold and stuff like that. Because that’s just how I was it. That’s me, but that’s how I was brought up. Well, please, all you do is walk around the blanket. He’s like, you should take a jacket. It’s cool. That’s what I tell him. I always look out for you. Please. I do all of the dirty work for our relationship. So the literally I take the garbage out. I go grocery shopping. I fix the car. I drive gas. I driven the car three times and I drive he doesn’t drive. It’s like Driving Miss Daisy. It’s like DJ, we take you you wanna drive? No, I don’t even know the last time I was in the car. Right? You’ve been in the car more than I have, sir. I can’t I clean the apartment. I do the laundry. I believe I’m in the laundry. Come on. Yes, exactly. So but the point i’m saying is Jenna didn’t do laundry for like a fucking month, please. When we lived with the agenda. And let’s let’s get it in my head. I did her laundry. I would fold her little panties. And I would

75:32

I was like this just check this Joe whole new level. And then like two weeks later, I’m like, Can you give me tampons? Yes, exactly. That’s my underwear. Yeah. And

75:41

she would go out of town and I would make sure that her sheets would change. I’d make her bed and clean and vacuum my room and make sure everything is everything is clean. Joe would cook we went when we first moved out. She had no spices she had like she had like three concepts that you know we can pepper, salt and pepper We’re

76:00

all I need I have like the cookie right? But the

76:02

point of it is it was a perfect match for what we need each one of us needed at the time but yeah, but I will tell you this and I want to say this because we only have like 15 minutes but we’ve now been going for an hour and a half but I will tell you that dating I didn’t understand how much it changed like what my perception of dating would have been. What it is now first of all, I’m gonna say this to all you men out there on Bumble which are whatever the fuck the other ones are.

76:28

Gaming

76:29

Oh yeah. I’m sure I’m sure that’s probably still

76:33

yeah hinge and all the rest of it. You know, stop with the degraders Yeah. But stuff with the dick fuckin pics, you know, if you want to get laid and say that, that’s fine. Get it out of the way up in the front but don’t but don’t don’t, you know, talk to a woman like she’s just a piece of meat also have a little bit Wayman Joe have a little bit of classics. I’m on a rant here now. seconds. I have a little bit of class. You know get to know her. You make the effort to get to know or be polite, be masculine. You know, I, she doesn’t, I’m not going to tell you that most women, they don’t want to know that you want to go to a crying room, or that your feelings are bent out of shape, or that this or that or the other man up and show them that you’re a man first and have feelings and have sensitivities after the fact. But but they’re not your Bros. They’re not your your buddy. So if you’re over 25 and you’re dating a woman, act like a man and date a woman, from the things from the things that I’ve seen, from Jenna’s experiences, it’s it’s, It disgusts me. And so many times I just want to get the information of the people that have treated her poorly and go to their homes or their businesses and and tell them what’s what. But, but I know that’s not always the most appropriate thing to do. But I think that that you, you, you don’t serve a good purpose and it’s not a good look, if that’s what you’re putting forward because we If you’re putting that forward now, what are you? What are you later on? Yeah, you know, so I don’t even know what it’s like for a woman over 32 who are so kind to be dating to be dating now and having to put up with that bullshit. So what happens is you have 2019 Jenna, who always wanted to try and find the best about somebody and always made an excuse or a reason why she should think, or give somebody the benefit of the doubt. And always try to find something. Anything that made it worthwhile. Now has turned into 2020 Jenner who doesn’t give a shit and if you fuck her, and if you and you’re blocked, you’re censored. You’re called out, or you’re put away. Yeah, and that is and that’s a shame because that’s not who Jenna is. And I’m saying this for those of you who are who may be listening that may want to look at look for her on these other dating sites, or you can go to menasha pod calm And listen to her podcast. She’s single. She’s very smart and very intelligent and you’d be lucky to pick her up and but she’s 2020 Jenna is not going to take your your fucking frat boy too bit immature bullshit, man. I want to be man boy. Personality deficiency disorder. Wow. Take a breath.

79:20

Well, I’d like to say 2020 Jenna, she’s pretty. She’s pretty fierce. she’s learned a lot of lessons. Honestly, though, like, you know, most of those I learned in 2019 I think Yeah, like all the fucking shitty people that I met and dated and whatever. Um, but it’s funny because you’re right. So like, I was like, like I was. The joke is that I was always a mean girl in high school. I was like that asshole, right? And then I evolved as like a human right? Because, you know, I’m not 16 anymore, and then I became what we like to call it Nice mean girl. But 2020 Gemma feels a little bit me.

80:06

Like, I feel like the nice part. Just like I’ve been pushed, like so far like,

80:11

I don’t get advantage of it. They’re like now I just kind of

80:13

I don’t agree with that. I think 2020 Jenner is a wiser

80:16

maybe she’s just more selfish

80:18

young woman, Jesus. Yeah, not mean she’s wiser. And so she she doesn’t take the bullshit anymore and you can’t pull the same wool over our eyes. It’s it’s unfortunate that you had to go through that in order to become that wiser person. But that’s where you are. So, Joe, we have, we have 10 minutes left. So I want you to bring us home across the finish line. Talk about I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean. I have some things to say. Okay. I don’t know whether it’s, it’s I don’t know what the deal is. Like, if it’s just Chicago men, or what or if if this is like how men are across the country or even across the world, but it’s like Just listening to some of the things that you’ve said about the people that you’ve talked to the people that you’ve gone on dates. These men are children. Because it’s like, come on, it’s like, Why are you so upset? What, you know, why are you so upset about this? or Why are you so upset about that? It’s like, just be a man.

81:20

The thing is, is is one end of the spectrum and the other. It’s like, everyone’s like a little too. Like, there’s too much of something. Like it’s really hard to find someone in the middle. I don’t know if that’s an age thing because there’s like a baggage issue at my age, right? Like people have been divorced or they have kids or whatever. They’ve lived a life. Maybe it’s not baggage. It’s just lessons that they’ve learned and maybe they just don’t know how to apply them in the future. I don’t know. But it’s hard. It’s just, it’s like you can’t it’s like Dorothy in the porridge. Dorothy No. Goldilocks. Goldilocks in the porridge,

81:55

Dorothy word with a whole different set of problems.

82:00

Yeah daddy scarecrow

82:02

finding like the right one, like the perfect like, just right is so

82:07

hard and that it’s like his people are probably already married or they’re already in these relationships or everyone’s fucking crazy. I don’t know, I think finding love and finding relationships with people that like are exactly what you want. Not like, you know you’re on a checklist but like, fill the need.

82:28

Let me ask you on that question let me ask you a question now weird. Where can women where can men find relationship relationships in the modern world? I mean, it used to be you were you were introduced by a random man anywhere now and No, but I mean in Chicago now with Bumble and even with Grindr on the gay app, you can order your what you want, like you’re ordering a pizza. I want a blonde six foot you know with a smile and ABS and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Something bad but I’m just saying As you can place your order. So what is it like for a young woman who is dating? I mean, because you’re not dating. You’re trying not to date younger people you’re dating like, men in their late 30s, sometimes early 40s. And they still act this way.

83:15

Yeah. Um, I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t know where you find them. Because if you find them, send them my way.

83:22

I already did. I did a promo for you. I told them where to find

83:25

you. Sure you did. And every time you drive and meet someone,

83:28

I always try and hook you up. And the thing is, is that the thing is, is that it’s easy to get to the first part of meeting you because you’re such a lovely human. And anybody can put on an act. It’s, it’s what I want. And I’m hoping that you have learned over the last year and a half is to get to their real self quicker, quickly and quicker happen. Yeah, and I think so too. Anyway, on that note, we’re almost out of time. And I want you to you can listen to the DJ Doran show On iHeartRadio, Apple podcast, Google podcasts, Stitcher Deezer and all the other major podcasting sites or wherever you get your podcasting, your favorite podcasts, or you can go to my website DJ Doran comm where you can listen to this episode and all of our others in our archive and be entertained, thrilled, educated and challenged. So until then, it was so nice to to have you on the show. You can also follow Jana grish at menasha pod calm. You can find her podcast on Apple podcast, Google podcast, Deezer, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spotify. I Heart Radio when I heard I Heart Radio,

84:42

and you should check out the Instagram at manage a podcast. Oh yeah,

84:45

and check out her social at Facebook and menasha pod cast. Facebook is Minaj a pod and then Instagrams Minaj a podcast and then in check out their Instagram on the manager podcast. Yeah, you’ll be glad you did she post also Lots of cool stuff on there. And then of course, Joe Morales I’m a little bit biased. He’s my husband. He’s an awesome chef. He’s developing a cooking show. He’s gonna share his recipes. He has a website, Joey twirl.com he has great hair, hair and and all of that you can see him Ooh. And I just know that he comes home to me every night. All right, well, listen, thank you for joining our show. We’ll see you next time. Until then you’ve been listening to the DJ Doran show. Thanks for listening to another edition of the DJ Doran show. You can find us on Apple podcast, Google podcasts, SoundCloud, podomatic, Stitcher and all the other major podcasting sites just search for the DJ Doran show.