Anh 0:00

So she got like separate food and then yeah, so but from across the room, because you you weren't prepared for for the cup of meat. But when I when I was like, yo, Pamela, you want a cup of meat? I remember Pete from St. Louis was across the way. He was just like, I don't know what this is all about, but I also want a cup of meat even like eating off of me.

Pamela 0:31

You're listening to premeditated opinions because yes, we thought about it, and then we said it anyway. I'm Pamela.

Josh 0:38

And I'm Josh, and we are two people who somehow share a brain and decided to weaponize our brains with microphones. Each week, we unpack anything from politics and religion to carpool dread and everything in between.

Pamela 0:51

You know, it would really help us a lot if you followed us on Instagram and YouTube. Giving us a like and a follow is probably the best thing your thumbs will do today.

Josh 0:59

We are not experts. We are just way too confident in our own opinions. With all that being said, let's get started. Well, hello! We are back in your ear holes, aren't you lucky? And we are going to introduce you to somebody that is a friend of ours. It's somebody that Pamela has been really excited to have on for a little bit. Um, and so please help us welcome Anne. And we are thrilled that she came all the way here to actually record with us in person, which is cooler than doing it remotely, honestly. Um, and it preserves the quality, and the nerd in me loves that. So um yeah, we're thrilled that y'all are with us. Um, we are back from the Snowmegeddon chaos um ice storm. The yeah, yeah. It was it was quite the weather event.

Pamela 1:42

Um the ice is still out there though. It is lingering in your yeah, immediately outside the door.

Josh 1:49

Right, yeah, yeah. It's it's mostly because I'm trying to prevent anyone from coming to my door.

Anh 1:53

And so there is no sign to say keep off the grass because we don't want to be sued. So it's like, no, seriously, stay on the grass.

Josh 1:59

Right, yeah.

Pamela 2:00

It's like, why is your house the only house in the neighborhood that is still have an icy walkway?

Anh 2:05

Oh, that's because he waters the exact I'm out there with a hose in the morning just being like, Yes, yep.

Josh 2:12

Actually, I do want to tell a uh I do want to bring up a funny story actually because so we were traveling during the ice storm, and when we finally got back, boo-hoo! I know it was very sad to be in a tropical paradise while everything up here was covered in ice. But when we finally got back, we uh we actually messaged Pamela and her crew because they live so much closer to DFW airport than we do. And and we got back literally at midnight on that Sunday night, and so we ended up heading to their place uh for a little bit while the ice thawed because all our kids get along great and all that.

Anh 2:47

Oh, that warming center, it is nice, right?

Josh 2:50

Exactly, yeah. It's it's very well appointed, you know.

Pamela 2:53

Um but and the kids were off school and like there was just no point in you trying the we can't you all had friends on this side that were like the roads are treacherous, right?

Josh 3:05

Yeah, we heard from people over here going, Don't drive home if you don't have to. Yeah, at one point I had to venture out to go to the grocery store. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Pamela 3:13

And because y'all showed up and I was like, hmm. We got plenty of toilet paper. I hope y'all like cheese-its and milk.

Josh 3:21

Like I and we probably ate most of that, but I I I ventured out um to get groceries and legitimately had to use four-wheel drive to get in and out of those areas, but thank God in the Jeep? In the Jeep, yeah. I was sliding all over the place. Jeep, by the way. You're also up for sponsorship. So, what I want you to tell Ann about was what happened when I got home with the groceries.

Pamela 3:51

Okay, so it's like daytime. It's it was sunny, which was deceptive because you're like, oh, maybe the ice is melting, you know, whatever. So he pulls up in the driveway in the Jeep, and all the groceries were in the back of the Jeep. So when he gets out, like our whole driveway was just a sheet of ice. Wait, did you go front in or back in? Oh he drove in, yeah. So he he drove in, he didn't back in. Um and so he gets out of the car, and you can, you know, he he goes to the back. And we pulled the this up on our driveway cam. This is how I know. Um, so we have a uh security camera on our driveway. And I don't know, I can't remember how we found out about it. But all of a sudden, my husband comes out, he's got his shoes on, his coat and everything, and he's like Russian. And I thought he was just going out to help you like bring groceries in. I was like, okay, he's just got a lot of groceries, not quite.

Josh 4:54

No, um so Josh uh grabs groceries and then walks like into the yard to come up the yard, like to the front like patio or whatever, and he cannot get past the like landscaping because I would slide, I'd take like three steps and my feet would be planted, but because of the just the intensity of the ice, I would just slide backwards. I couldn't, I literally could not get to the door, he couldn't get traction anywhere, and so my Josh had to go and meet him there, and I'm surprised he didn't get stuck too.

Pamela 5:35

It could have just been like we could have had to throw rope at some point and been like, okay, let's everybody the little like the Olympics game. Let's pull the dads into the house with the groceries. Um, yeah. So were there any sound effects like no, just laughter, which was amazing.

Josh 5:52

I was just laughing. I I because it was just so ridiculous to me. And it's like, I know how to walk, I can walk these.

Pamela 5:59

But the best part, the best now. Oh man. And we probably okay, we're gonna post those videos on Substack.

Josh 6:05

Yeah, post them on Substack.

Pamela 6:06

Oh, because it's bonus content.

Anh 6:08

So if you're not on Substack, please subscribe, become a premium member.

Pamela 6:13

Um, the best part though was your commentary because you're you're walking up and you're just like, Jesus Christ. And then you try and you're like, and then you just start laughing because you're like, This is hilarious, and I just don't know what to do. And then like Josh comes out, and you're just yeah, it was it was comedy.

Josh 6:34

Well, and then he did the smart thing, which he just opened the garage door. Yeah, and I walk through the dry garage to get in there, but I don't have a garage door opener to their house, and so I was just going the way that I always go, and so it was truly hilarious, and and I just I felt so silly and like also what do I do? Like I don't so I'm like trying to hand groceries to Josh without falling. Um, but it was it was proper comedy. But how did you how did you fare in the ice storm?

Anh 7:02

What so I have a north facing driveway, and the last time we got hit with an ice storm, it took over a week to melt. Oh um, because of the north facing and ice melt does not work on my ice apparently. It just kind of laughs at it. And so uh so we we um we got a high schooler while it was warming up to go and break ice and chuck it into the yard and smart. Yeah, because I was like, I did it by myself last year, and it let's just say no, it's okay. It's worth the $80, and that was with tip. So thank you, TK Mustang Lakes.

Pamela 7:41

So when we moved down here, we were like, it's Texas. We don't need a shovel, we don't need rock salt, we don't need it. So we left it, we left all of it, and we came down here and we were like, wow, all they get is ice. They get they get nothing or ice.

Josh 7:59

Basically, yeah, yeah, it's pretty miserable. Um, but thankfully it's thawing, and by the time we went home on Wednesday, it the highways were pretty much clear, but the surface streets were still a disaster. And and we have um alleyway access behind our house because of the era that our house was built in. That was kind of how it was done. And so coming down the alleyway, like I had to put her jeep back into four-wheel drive to get up our driveway. Yep. But I could not get just from the alley into the driveway in the garage.

Pamela 8:29

Yeah, I and because there's not really much elevation.

Josh 8:31

No, it's not, it's not a steep thing.

Pamela 8:34

I just I could not, it would not I mean ours is more elevated than that's interesting.

Josh 8:39

For sure.

Pamela 8:40

So I do have to tell you this story. So when we first moved here, it was in November. Um we did not anticipate any uh uh winter precipitation, we didn't know that was a thing down here. Um, we did not do our research, and so the very first ice like storm, I guess, in Jane, it was January, February 2023 was the day our so we had just bought a Tesla. And it had come in and it was ready to be picked up. I'd never driven a Tesla before ever. I and and if you've ever driven one, like it's not your standard, like there's no push to start, there's no like on.

Anh 9:25

You just say, hey, Elon, turn on, right? Can you turn me on?

Josh 9:32

Right, you have to say it a very specific way, and you have to include Elon.

Anh 9:36

And Elon, if you happen to want to throw some shillings their way and my way, by the way, please do.

Pamela 9:41

I feel like maybe the Cybertruck you can do that, but anyway.

Anh 9:44

Um I mean it does have cyber in its name, so right.

Pamela 9:47

So I drive down into Fort Worth to pick up the car, and I had a very quick tutorial of basically how to get home. And the ice was coming. Like we knew that there was gonna be some precipitation, but again, we had just moved here, so we didn't really know what to expect. And about halfway home, it starts sheeting ice, not sleep, not you know, snow to sheeting ice, and I'm like, I don't know where I am. I don't know how to drive this car. I'm like in a brand new city, in a brand new car that isn't typical, like just just well, now it's get in and go. Wait, was hot Josh with you? No, no, like he was he was gonna be a couple hours behind me, and so I was terrified. And then I ended up getting lost, and it was getting to where it was people were getting stuck on hills. Oh yeah, and I am freaking out because I'm like this brand new car and I don't know where I am, and I ended up making it home and I was parked in the driveway, and then a couple hours later, Josh gets home and he parks right beside me. Now, when I got home, it the the driveway was still just dry enough that like I had some like kind of dry patches that I that I parked on. He however parked on I don't know, an inch plus of ice. So the next morning we get up and somebody was like, hey, on Facebook. I get on the Facebook neighborhood page and people are like, Hey, check on your cars. And we're like, God, okay, like I'm thinking like broken windshields, I'm thinking hail, I'm thinking something. No, um, most of the neighborhood who had come home during the storm, their cars all slid down the driveways into the road.

Josh 11:59

All by themselves.

Pamela 12:00

Yep.

Josh 12:01

Yeah.

Pamela 12:02

Did they touch? Did they make contact when you saw that? So like his was his had kind of like rolled down. Like kind there's uh there's like a uh ditch, kind of like a little dip, and I think it kind of got hung up on that, but uh yeah, that was our first winter here, and I immediately was like, I want to refund. I'm like, this is bull.

Anh 12:26

I have a a good fun uh winter story as well. Yeah. So um, as I was saying, born and raised Histonian H Town, yes. Um, but my first big girl job was out at Allstate in Chicagoan. Okay. So I I drove up, that's that's where I met my husband, etc. Um, drove up to Chicago by myself as a 23-year-old with my MapQuest printout. Because we didn't have smartphones, we didn't have smartphones. Yeah, and midway I stopped at a hojo to sleep.

Josh 13:00

Oh my gosh.

Anh 13:00

A what? A Hojo. A Howard Johnson Hotel. Oh, okay. Yeah.

Josh 13:07

Oh, well, if Howard Johnson was a brand of hotels, it's now been sold and isn't it. Oh, okay.

Anh 13:12

Okay, and if you if you if you look up what Hojo is, we'll just leave it at that. That's a true crime story. That's not what this is not the kind of podcast for that one. Anywho.

Josh 13:22

Not yet.

Anh 13:23

So No, there are plenty of true crime podcasts. We don't need to compete with that. Y'all know I like I like y'all's comedy schm uh stiff. Um, so I go up there not knowing that, well, ooh, um, the window wiper fluids that's from down south, they done freeze up north. Also, just because you got ice on your windshield and then you've also driven around Texas, which you probably have some cracks, you don't put it to full blast when trying to melt when you're even if you're uh trying to haul ass to work. I can't say that word, right? Yeah, yeah. Okay. Well, so first week of being in Chicago by myself, wiper fluids frozen, so I couldn't wash the salt off my windshield. And the first time it had ice, which was again within the first week, because I moved out there in November. Uh, I had to get my windshield replaced because it done correct, like Spider-Man.

Josh 14:19

Whoa.

Anh 14:19

Like it full of spider-glass. Yeah. Like I can see.

Josh 14:23

Yeah.

Anh 14:24

And fortunately, I worked at Allstate and had Allstate insurance because I was in good hands. So the other thing I also learned is um if you're stuck in ice and you want friction, kitty litter works real, real well. Or your neighbor's garden rocks. Just shove a few rocks underneath the wheels, you'll get some traction. Yep. So um, yeah, so I I rented a vehicle to get my furniture from IKEA from Schaumburg. IKEA, if you're listening. Oh, yeah, we're we're and I had Schaumberg. My personal vehicle was at IKEA, but I I rented one of those interviews.

Pamela 15:05

Did you live in Schaumburg?

Anh 15:06

No, I didn't live in I lived in Glenview, which is close to where the Allstate headquarters. Um, but that's where the IKEA is at.

Pamela 15:14

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Anh 15:15

And but I had a deadline, and this was all again within the first week, because I'm not gonna sleep on the ground. I need I need I need a bed. Um, and so I learned a lot as a southerner living in winter weather, actual proper winter weather, um, all of my first weeks.

Pamela 15:32

What kind of car were you driving at the time?

Anh 15:34

A Honda Accord.

Pamela 15:35

Oh, mm-hmm. Nice car. Yeah.

Josh 15:38

Yeah. So how long were you in Chicago? Like, how long were you working for Allstate and all that stuff?

Anh 15:43

Uh about three years.

Pamela 15:44

Okay.

Anh 15:45

Oh wow, okay.

Josh 15:45

Yeah. So at what point did you depart Chicago? Like, was that a professional thing?

Anh 15:50

Uh yeah. So um I my mom uh asked me every day when I lived in Chicago because I didn't leave Texas until I moved to Chicago. Um, every day when when I was moving back. So after three years, I was like, fine, I'll move back home. I was at Accenture at the time where I started my Salesforce journey. Um and so as a consultant and traveling and being a road warrior, I was like, fine, I'll move back home, save some money, live with mama. So that's why I moved back down to Texas. Yeah.

Pamela 16:20

So wait a minute, but you said you met your husband up there. Yes, ma'am.

Anh 16:24

So if you move back home where you He stayed, and so I would do like changing every week. Oh Monday to Thursday, I'd fly to Houston, pack for two weeks. The other I would like rotate weeks, and then I'll spend four days out in Chicago and I dragged his ass down to Texas.

Pamela 16:42

Were you all married then?

Anh 16:43

No, we didn't marry until I lived in Denver.

Pamela 16:46

Oh, okay.

Anh 16:46

Yeah, we were together for a long, long time until I I got him to get um under the morning of we got married. Um, I was married on May the 4th. Oh, nice. So that he could remember when we got married. Nice. But he also went through like an emergency surgery. So I don't know if my marriage is actually valid because technically he did sign the marriage license, but he did go under the morning of.

Josh 17:13

So is he doing it of his own free will, is what you're saying.

Anh 17:16

Like I might have twisted his arm a little bit, but I mean it's a hospital form.

Josh 17:21

You have to sign it for the hospital.

Anh 17:23

I don't think the county judge or clerk saw the twisting of the arm, so I think it's valid. Yeah, probably.

Pamela 17:29

Because she did sign for billing information. Like you're you're responsible for billing. Just sign here. Yes. Yeah, yeah.

Josh 17:36

This is to keep all your organs, so you're gonna want to sign it. No, that's awesome. Uh so okay, you you got married in Denver?

Anh 17:44

Yes.

Josh 17:45

Awesome. That's a great place to go. On May 4th.

Anh 17:47

Oh, I wait, wait, sorry. Let's qualify what marriage meant for me. Sure. We went and spent 30 whole dollars and got a piece of paper and signed in Arapaho County. And then we went and celebrated at Noodles and Company.

Pamela 18:01

But again, I miss those. They don't have those here.

Anh 18:05

They don't have that here, and they're so good. And but they got rid of the good stuff. I like their little yellow curry noodles. They don't have it anymore. So forget you, noodles and company. Right. Not a sponsor. Don't sponsor us.

Josh 18:17

Right.

Pamela 18:18

They'll be the one people that call us.

Anh 18:21

But no, so yeah, we got married in Denver at um just getting the marriage license, and that was it. I didn't do anything, didn't wear a white dress. I don't even remember what I wore. And uh yeah, and he was too jacked up from the surgery because it was oral surgery that he didn't even eat at Noodles and Company. We just packed it to go.

Josh 18:39

His his wedding day was quite the adventure.

Pamela 18:40

Yeah, Josh thought I left on our wedding day. He thought I I high take. Uh-huh. He forgot what car I drove at the time. And because he okay. So what happened? We're from we're from Louisville, but early in uh dating life, we went down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. And rented a cabin. It's a common thing um you know, people do in Louisville, um, is go down to Gatlinburg. And so we decided, like I was like, I can't do the whole big wedding thing. Like, I it's too stressful. Yeah, and so I was like, no. So we rented a chalet down in Gatlinburg. I found a little place that um where we got married on the side of a mountain. It was my best friend and her husband, his best friend, my parents, his mom and grandma, and that was it. We got married August 20th, which was the same day Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphreys got married, and I was kind of pissed about that.

Anh 19:49

But I was how dare she! Also, if Kim Kardashian is listening, we'll be sponsored by Skims.

Pamela 19:56

Yeah, um, so shit, and I remember making the remark, I'm like, we'll see whose marriage lasts longer.

Josh 20:06

I love that you were already in that mentality on the day of the wedding. Oh, I was mad.

Pamela 20:09

So um, but we so there were this chalet was like three stories, and he was on the in like the first floor, and then me and my maid of honor were on the top floor so that way we could get ready in the morning because we had to get we had to be there. The ceremony started at 9 a.m. Because they're like, if we go too late into the afternoon, you're gonna burn alive. Like it is hot in August in Tennessee. So we it was at nine o'clock. We me and the maid of honor take her car over to the venue, and I'm literally like still putting makeup on seconds before I have to walk down the aisle. And for some reason later on he tells me, he's like, Yeah, he's like, I thought, I thought you left. Like, I'm like, you drove my car to the ceremony, but because we left before I'm like, we left before you because we didn't want you to see me. But he thought that I had like just gone back home and was just like, I'm not sure.

Anh 21:22

So the tears as you were walking down meant something totally different for him than it was for you.

Pamela 21:27

Most likely, yes. Uh-huh. He was so nervous, it was so cute. So again, it's August in Tennessee, and I wanted the ceremony to be like video recorded so that way, because I'm like, it's gonna go by so fast, I'm not gonna remember anything that we said. Like, I want to have that memory. That was the summer of like some rare cicada had come back to life, and you can't hear anything on the entire video. Was it like

Anh 22:00

The 30-year cicadas. Yeah, something like that.

Pamela 22:02

Screaming. Yeah. And so we can't hear anything on the video because of this. You just hear waves of cicadas.

Josh 22:08

Do you still have the video?

Pamela 22:10

I think so, yeah.

Anh 22:10

He could maybe be able to isolate them and take them off. Let me take a crack at it.

Pamela 22:14

That would be amazing. Yeah, let me take a crack. Yeah, it's just like a like a DVD. Yeah.

Josh 22:20

Um, yeah, physical media, man. I remember that phase.

Pamela 22:23

Oh, yeah.

Anh 22:24

It's coming back.

Josh 22:26

It really is, actually. It's interesting. But it started with vinyls and now it's starting to get even into DVDs and Blu-rays.

Pamela 22:31

Oh, I'm starting to see cassettes. Like we were cassettes? Cassettes?

Anh 22:37

Cassettes. Yeah. No, it's just I'm big at the weird.

Pamela 22:44

Well, we were in where would where did we go? Uh where did where did there was a place in Dallas that you guys that we went to? You guys wanted to?

Josh 22:55

Oh, over in Bishop Arts. Bishop Arts. Yeah. Yeah.

Pamela 22:58

So yeah, like when we went over there and had lunch, and then I was walking around and there was a record store that had vinyls and it had cassettes on the wall. And I was like, oh wow. Okay. Like we're doing this again.

Anh 23:11

Yeah. Yeah. So I hope everybody has those really amazing pencils because you will need it to rewind.

Josh 23:19

Oh, yeah. Yeah. If you're doing cassettes, you gotta know the little pencil trick.

Anh 23:22

Oh, I can't wait to hear all my old mixtapes off recorded off the radio.

Josh 23:27

Yes.

Anh 23:27

Can I can I also say something that I learned from both you guys? Oh, oh, okay. I was offended and then I finally gave in. Yes, I am an elder millennial. I learned that from you guys.

Josh 23:41

Yeah, that's I'm proud of it. Yeah. Because I was I was born in 85. Um baby.

Pamela 23:47

I'm 84. 84.

Josh 23:49

Yeah. Oh, I missed it by one year with y'all. But uh no, millennial, the the technical millennial definition all actually goes all the way to 81, which I thought was interesting. That's the first technical year of millennials. And I think we're better than everybody. So it's fine.

Pamela 24:05

So we can also be called Xennials.

Josh 24:07

Yeah, the X.

Pamela 24:07

It's where you're you're kind of that mix of the the X and Y. The transition from analog to digital.

Anh 24:13

Yeah. Yeah. I blew into cartridges, did you? Yeah, right. Yeah.

Josh 24:18

I I remember having to like really strategically place the game cartridge inside my Nintendo console and press it down just right for Zelda to finally work.

Anh 24:26

You had to, and it was like aggressive, just kind of like those like when the cards were flipping over. You had to like to get the chip to read just right, because otherwise it's like try again. So it's the same thing with the cartridges. You're like, you gotta be initially gentle and then forceful.

Pamela 24:43

So what was your first video game console?

Anh 24:47

So I will say that it was the first one I was exposed to was Nintendo. Okay, but I we had three games. We had the the Super Mario Brothers. Yep. No, no, there was more. There was Super Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, the Gold Cartridge Zelda game, and Finding Nemo. Not Finding Nemo, Nemo's Nightmare. Nemo's something. Nemo's something. Yeah. He was like a little dreaming kid in a little I forget what it's called. But his name is Nemo. Oh, okay. Yeah, I was like, but I was a super Nintendo chick.

Josh 25:17

Okay. Yeah.

Pamela 25:18

I had we so my uncle had a Nintendo. We had an S N E S. And then the N64 quickly became mine. Um I'm a I a lot of my memories are from N64. Zelda, Ocarina of Time. Yes, Super Mario.

Anh 25:40

When there was a Z trigger, I was like, no, I can't. Sorry. I'm not this is not me. This is me.

Pamela 25:44

Now I I'll I for whatever reason, I don't know what it is. I cannot use a PlayStation controller to save my life. Like my son always wants me to like play games and stuff with him. And even Josh has asked me. I don't, I don't know what it is. I cannot use one of those things, but I will. Is it too many buttons? I don't know. I don't know, but I'll beat your ass in Mario Kart. And I have no shame.

Josh 26:11

Yeah, on the switch.

Pamela 26:12

On the Switch or we? What all the above. Okay. All the above. And I give my kids no mercy. That's that's how they learn.

Anh 26:21

Right.

Pamela 26:21

So either they don't play with me anymore, or are you an ugly winner? No, but I'm like, I am the best. And you're like Rainbow Broad. Yeah. Uh yeah, actually. Um my daughter has accepted the challenge. So she has accepted the challenge to try to be better than me, but she ain't there yet. Y'all talk smack while y'all driving.

Josh 26:43

Have you met Pamela? Like Okay.

Anh 26:46

All right. So I think let's let's ask your question. Go go ask the question that that Pamela's like, wait a minute, I got still Oh yeah.

Josh 26:52

So oh no, I mean there's I I have I've witnessed a very abbreviated amount of smack talk around I don't think I'm a big smack talker, but like I know my place.

Pamela 27:03

And it's first. You're like, it's and it's on top. That is the one thing like I will not humble brag about. I straight up am like, try me.

Josh 27:16

Yeah. Yeah, she'll dominate. But okay, so how did you two actually meet each other? So I I don't want to get too far into this before we kind of help people draw a through line between that's why I like you in the middle. Yeah. Because you had you had your Chicago days, you had Houston days, you had Denver days, I'm sure you had others. Sounds like you're on the road a bunch. Um, and I know you were working for somewhere, and y'all got involved in something Salesforce, and I'm not even gonna pretend to know how to tee this up. I'm gonna rely on you two. But um, what how did you guys initially connect and how did that how'd that all go?

Anh 27:49

I will give the precursor to my bit, and then you can do your precursor, and then we can talk about the momentous time where we had a meet cute. So I have been doing Salesforce something or another for almost 15 years, so it's 14 years solid at this point in time. And I did consulting, as I mentioned, Monday to Thursday, traveling for most of it. And no, I didn't want to do any more Salesforce after that. But in February 2024, I got laid off from Cisco, which we are in that area where Cisco's at, Richardson. Um, and so I was like, you know what, let's let's see what all this Ohana talk is all about. Everybody's always like, ohana. And I was like, man, I mean, like, I drink the Kool-Aid, but like I haven't drunk that part of the Kool-Aid yet. You know, with all the sugars at the bottom. I haven't hit that part yet, just a diluted top part. Um, so I just like, you know what? I'm going to invest my time and check out what all this is about while I'm not working. I have time in my hands. And one of the first events that I saw come up um through a recruiter that has actually connected me before I was laid off. Um, because he had an event, and I was like, sure, I'll do it. And plus, it's at the Salesforce Tower. And Salesforce Tower means swag, stickers at minimum. So I was like, cool, I will do stupid things for swag t-shirts, as one does. So uh, so I came to this uh the North Dallas Salesforce event, which ironically was in Dallas, Dallas at the Salesforce Tower. And that's where I started, and that's where I met Pamela, not Pammy, not Pam, although she allows me to occasionally let it leak. But I will let you explain my side okay to the Salesforce Tower.

Pamela 29:30

So um, okay, I don't want to go too far back, but I didn't know much about Salesforce until we so we found out we were leaving Kentucky to come move down here. And I had to make a job change um due to that move. And the company that I worked with was a Salesforce partner consulting firm. Um and they were strictly Salesforce. So that was kind of my initial introduction to Salesforce. Well, uh there was a little bit before that, but this is when I really was like getting into the ecosystem. I didn't really know much about the community. I mean, I had heard people talk about community events, but it wasn't until yeah, around the beginning of 2024 that someone sent me uh a meetup like link to the Salesforce North Dallas uh event at the tower. Now, so we moved down here in November of 2022. This is 2024, and I realized like I never left the house. I worked remote, I didn't know anybody, I didn't know how to meet people, uh, I wasn't involved with anything, and so I kind of went back and forth on if I was gonna go because I was just like and like networking events and things at the time mortifying, like terrifying for me. Like I just I don't know how to meet people, I don't know how to talk to people like in those settings. I uh just which is so weird because like you were great. So I I went back and forth and then I finally was just like, I'm gonna do it. I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna get out. I'm gonna go to the city, like and I ended up asking like my boss's boss at the time. I'm like, I don't like I don't know what to say. Like, what do I say to these people? Like, I don't know what to ask, I don't know how to start a conversation, like I'm awkward AF, like I I don't know what to do. And she was basically like, just ask them about themselves, like ask them how they're connected to the ecosystem, ask them how they found out about the event, like just ask the like get them talking. And I was like, okay, so I had a couple of questions like in my back pocket, metaphorically. Um, but I got there, I was like one of the first people there.

Anh 32:14

And you don't know about traffic, so let's be honest.

Pamela 32:17

Yeah, and yeah, I didn't know where I was going, and then they were like pretty adamant about being on time since it was in the tower, and like I didn't know what parking was gonna be like. Luckily, I found parking pretty quick.

Josh 32:29

Well, and that part of Dallas is a pain in the ass, too.

Pamela 32:32

Like, yeah, I didn't know what to wear, so I wore my cowgirl boots and a dress, and I was like, Okay, like I don't I don't know what to expect. And so I got in there, I was one of the first people there. I'm like, well, this is great. Um, and I sat down, I started to wallflower. I started a wallflower because I was just like some people seem to know each other, and I'm like, how many of these people already know each other? Like, how many of these people? And then I finally realized I'm like after a couple of more people came in and I started kind of using my back pocket questions, I realized more people were in my same position there than I than I realized. And that's when I was like, okay, we're kind of all in the same position. So like these are kind of your people a little bit. And my boots were were a conversation started. People would come up and say, Oh my god, I love your boots, like were they the ones with the strappies on the top? They're the white ones with the the straps up the back. Yeah, yep. Uh, and that started conversations, and I ended up like kind of hanging out with these two girls in particular, and the it started to get really crowded, like with a lot of people started to show up, and you were sitting, I think at the table in the middle, you were just sitting there, and I don't know, there was something about your personality. You were talking to somebody and we walked up to you, and I just immediately I was like, Okay, like attach yourself to this person. Like, she she's funny, she's like, I'm like, I think the this group of people are your people.

Anh 34:28

Um, and so yeah, I think uh one of the first things she probably heard because I made it loud and clear, I've been laid off, y'all.

Josh 34:38

I'm here looking for opportunities.

Anh 34:40

I am looking for opportunities, I'm loud, I I I can make jokes from time at lands. Um I remember that because you and I was interviewing across multiple different things. Yeah, Helaton might have been one of the things I mentioned.

Pamela 34:56

Yeah.

Anh 34:57

Um, and and so I think that was kind of the thing. It was like, oh, she's loud. Maybe I could hide behind her voice, maybe.

Pamela 35:04

Maybe, maybe.

Josh 35:06

Well, but also confidence is a very magnetic thing, right? So, like you you were sitting there, you know. Oh, also that's all fake, by the way. Well, I'm an introvert. Yeah, that's that's most confidence is fake. Very few people actually operate with confidence because they feel no sense of fear about what they're doing. It's just sort of this projection that we love to do. So, so like it makes sense to me that people are like, oh, she's confident and funny and kind of sure of herself, whether or not you feel that way yourself. But it does sort of create a magnetism around it. And and and I remember, I mean, like I offered you a cup of meat. That's how we that's how Josh and I first um, yeah, there was just abundant meat. Um, it was really amazing. But no, I uh we might want to qualify that story a little bit further because people are like, we'll get there. Oh, I'm gonna so so basically, like uh my origin story is is um uh more tied to a presentation that Pamela was doing, and I had come out to record something that that you were presenting on that you wanted to be able to stick on YouTube or maybe use just for whatever. Like it's a great presentation, it is a great presentation, and so so I snagged a couple of cameras and and went out there because I mean I don't even think the venue is all that far from here, was it? I don't remember now, but but it was close by, close enough. And so yeah, I was out there hanging out and and I'm I'm in this room with all of these people who the speaker room. Yeah, I was in the speaker room, and I don't really have any idea what anyone they're speaking on. Um, but I've been in enough of these environments where I was just kind of in to you to use your term, I was kind of wallflowering a little bit, which is not my usual state, but I was also just like I'm a guest here. I you know, I was brought in to do a job. I'm just gonna lay low, do that job, crack a joke here and there, go home. Um, well, then you walked in with this like aluminum pan. I I'm not even gonna try and describe it. I want you to describe it. So it was an aluminum pan of one of the best smelling things I've ever meet been around in my life. What was that?

Anh 37:23

So it is um, so if you're in the Dallas area, there's this gentleman, um, I do believe it's called I Grill Lechon or Lechon? Lechon. Lechon. I don't know, I'm not Filipino. And don't even okay, so here I'll I'll make fun of myself. It so the Filipino language is uh Tagalog? Yes, but what do I call it? Tagalongs. Just like the Girl Scout cookies, y'all. Um yeah, sorry, sorry, my my Filipino friends. Um, but I didn't even know any of this. So tag along it is so so uh so I tried it, and so there's this up so during the pandemic, there was a lot of Asian businesses getting um not a lot of business because of COVID. And so I had joined a Facebook group called uh the Asian DFW Asian Grub. And it focused I'm in that group.

Josh 38:16

Yeah, I am I am for real. Anyway, keep on talking about it.

Anh 38:19

Okay, and and so um, but there's this gentleman now. I have FOMO. Invite you. You can come join. Um, but there were people that would would be making food like at home, and there was a gentleman that does smoking, he's actually a project manager as his day job, but then overnight he just smokes briskets and he would give it away for uh first responders. Well, he's Filipino, and then he would do these pop-ups for openings and stuff like that as giveaways, or they sell their their meats. Um Arby's, we have the meats. Um another stuff. So he'll do he will do barbecue brisk or smoked brisket, which I need to try your brisket. Anyway, absolutely. And then his other Filipino uh friend would do the roasted pork. So you can get them as uh the full succumbing pig, or you would get the full belly slab, which is what I ordered, because we had somebody from Miami, um, Julian from Heroku, who he was, we were on some random another Salesforce meeting. Sorry. Um, and he was saying something blah, blah, blah, pork. And I was like, oh man, do I have some good pork for you? Um, yes, I do need to.

Josh 39:33

The amount of times someone has said that to me is really alarming. Dude, I have some good pork for you. Like anyway, keep going.

Anh 39:38

And and I can't, I think he he has testified, he can confirm it was some pretty good pork. Um, so so when Julian was coming into town for the same convention that you were speaking at, um, I wanted to, not, you know, I was like, here's the little pieces. No, I was like, no, I'm gonna get a full belly slab. So that's what I brought in was a full, warm, big old belly slab, but I couldn't get the proper coconut rice. Plus, I didn't want people to get sick. So I brought bread. So the stack of 20 loaves in the corner, that was me that no one ate. Um I remember that. Yeah, I do believe somebody, somebody was like, um, normally they offer the speaker room like water bottles, but there's 20 loaves of French bread in the corner. Why? But thanks. Um and so, but but it wasn't cut. And so I I also came prepared with a kitchen knife, gloves, and paper towels, because we know that if it's a pork belly, she gets a little sloppy. So um, and then I was like, okay, now that I cut the slab down, but you know, it's not something you can do pretty quick. I didn't have a cutting board, it's literally like cutting into this like half sheet. Um, I I needed a means to distribute it. So that's where the the cup of meat came about.

Josh 40:58

Yeah, we found some disposable cups. Yes. And you were just piling like pork belly into that and just handing them out. Yes.

Anh 41:06

And y'all no, and then I walked around. Who wants a cup? Do you want some cup of meat? Um, some people I think across the room, Pamela was like, sure. Because you were trying to eat that, like, do you go to the cafeteria and got their like taco or nachos or something? Yeah, you didn't eat the food that was provided at the thing because they were running low.

Pamela 41:28

Or the they asked us to go last.

Anh 41:32

And so there was a little like controversy that y'all may not get food. So she got like separate food, and then yeah, so but from across the room, because you you weren't prepared for for the cup of meat. But when I when I was like, yo, Pamela, you want a cup of meat? I remember Pete from St. Louis was across the way, and he was just like, I don't know what this is all about, but I also want a cup of meat, even though you didn't offer me. So I mean, because I had this whole belly slap. So, but yes, um, it was because we um Julian from Miami was talking about this really great dish that he made on the barbecue, um, a roasted pork, and I was like, hey, I got something that may contend with it.

Josh 42:15

Man, it was y'all, y'all, y'all don't understand. You're listening to us talk about it and you don't understand how good it was. It was garlic. You lust, lemongrass. Yeah, it was amazing.

Anh 42:27

The best part is the green onions that are inside that just soaked up all the goodness. So if y'all are vegans, I'm sorry.

Josh 42:34

This is not a very vegan episode. Sorry. And I mean or vegetarian, yeah. Right. But it was it was fabulous. And um, we I remember you telling me that that we had been asked to sort of make sure that there was enough food for the attendees and stuff, and I was like, oh, that's fine. And so I I hadn't planned on eating anything, which was not a big deal. I wasn't there that.

Pamela 42:55

Honestly, it kind of worked out, like really did.

Josh 42:57

Because then she showed up with a slab of pork belly, and I was like, sign me all the way up. Like, this is fabulous. So that's that's my first like strong memory of Pete. That was that was our meat cue. Yeah, it was our meat cue because I just man, I I talked about that for a ridiculous amount of time.

Anh 43:16

So, funny story to continue on about the Pete story from St. Louis. I went to Chicago in December, and he goes, Hey, meat girl. And I was like, and remember, this is me, I live in Dallas. I was traveling to Chicago for a sales for a Chicago event. So the people that are in Chicago are likely in the close area, not the Southerners from Texas. And so when somebody shouts, yo, meat girl, I have to turn to see who this meat girl was. And then lo and behold, it was me. You're like the right, exactly. You're checking behind you and so we we our running joke was convenient meat. And then so, so there were some references to um really. Readily available jerky, pocket jerky, backpack jerky. And then it makes me think of the league. Oh, yeah. Pocket hot dogs. Yeah. And not the pocket hot dogs that y'all normally think about. It's actual pocket hot dogs. Right.

Josh 44:18

Yeah, you know, totally normal. Yes. That is amazing. I'm gonna randomly think about that and laugh at it for the foreseeable future. Um, okay, so you you have this, you you bring this like incredible dish to everybody. Like, I'm curious what were sort of general responses to it? Because I I'm a barbecue guy, like and I've actually I'm fortunate enough to have been to the Philippines. I've I've had Filipino food there, and they're really, really, really good at pork products. Like, really good. And so I'm just wondering like, did you run into anybody who didn't enjoy it?

Anh 44:58

Like, um, all I have to say is um I don't think he's orthodox, but I got a Jew to eat the pork. So that's I mean and he was very happy with having the pork. So uh I won't name names, but yeah, so that's that's that's that's a testament to how good that dish was. Now, vegans, if you would like to be converted, um, let me know and and we'll do a tasting.

Josh 45:22

Yeah, you bring some of that pork belly, I'll bring a brisket, and yeah, we can throw it down. We'll make quick work of it. Yeah, that's actually not a half-bad idea.

Anh 45:29

No, ooh, and on a tequila Tuesday, we'll just get real Then it'll be a full slumber party because we're gonna have to sleep over afterwards. And um we'll figure it out. Yeah, we'll there you go, it's a date.

Josh 45:43

Yeah, perfect. Yeah, awesome. Yeah, so when we were talking about getting this episode going with you, one of the things that Pamela sent me that I really need to know the origin story of is she sent me a photo with you and your now husband and Stan Lee. Okay, and I would love to know how on earth you got to take a photo with a great Stanley.

Pamela 46:06

Hold on, hold on. So I didn't originally preface it that way. I was like, Oh, right.

Josh 46:12

She's saying it's like here's Ann and her husband, and it was Stan Lee with her husband actually standing behind him. It was great.

Anh 46:18

I was like, Anne's married to Stan Lee. Well, okay, first, well, hang on.

Pamela 46:24

So I And I got a picture with some random dude.

Anh 46:28

So, so there was there's so I'm gonna do some pre-cursor and then we're gonna talk about the Stanley event. Okay, so so Pam says, Hey, um, are you able to record this weekend? And I was like, Okay, well, where do you want to meet? When do we want to meet? And she's like, I don't know, have you heard of this place called Richardson? I was like, Hello, I'm Asian.

Josh 46:44

Um okay, so that's actually true. The the Asian community here is massive, and the Asian food scene here is incredible.

Anh 46:50

Yes, which by the way, I had a fallback um before coming here because like I'm supposed to she didn't want me to get food for y'all, so I was like, fine, I'm gonna eat by myself. We did eat a lot, yes. That's okay. Next time, next time, and I'll make sure I order some eye grill um victoria.

Pamela 47:07

So we were at his daughter's birthday party at the galleria, they were ice skating, and conveniently how do you pronounce it?

Josh 47:18

Mikasina.

Pamela 47:19

Micasina is right there with a bar and you can watch the ice skating. And I was like, how do we get to that bar? Wait, wait, wait. Were you the only escort?

Anh 47:31

Were they here? No.

Josh 47:32

Okay, so it was it was Pamela, me, and my spouse, Krista.

Anh 47:36

Okay, I was about to say, I was like, you were drinking solo?

Pamela 47:39

I'm not above it, right?

Josh 47:41

Me either.

Pamela 47:42

But we sat, we got a table right like on the on the ice, basically, basically, so we could watch the kiddos um and drink our margaritas.

Josh 47:53

So and we downed an awful lot of chips, salsa, and queso while we were doing it.

Anh 47:58

And that's well, you gotta have something to absorb the alcohol, so yeah, yeah.

Josh 48:02

Um, it was a wise choice ultimately, but but yeah, so we we did eat a somewhat hilarious amount of of chips and queso. But um, so there was a precursor to your stance.

Anh 48:14

Oh yeah, so so so I said, Oh, yes, because I'm Asian, of course I know where Richardson's at. That's where I give him my get my food on. I mean, now I finally got some stuff where it's not just it's like I didn't even have McDonald's where I live, all the way out in Boonesville, four far north, practically at Oklahoma. Um, I was lucky that I got a Kroger. So, so I came down to Richardson a lot of times when I first moved to the DFW area because there was nothing else. And I, as a Histonian, I'm sorry, I need food that's not boiled meat.

Josh 48:44

Right. Yeah.

Anh 48:45

Um, so anywho, so but I Pamela's never met my husband, and I was like, oh, he's white or white. And so I sent the picture, but it just happened to be the 2016 kind of trend that was going on, and that was the picture I selected that was on my LinkedIn profile. It's a picture, it's an awkward, it looks like an awkward family picture of me, Stan Lee and my husband. Unfortunately, this was not too far from when he was going to pass away. And so I we were warned, like, hey, he didn't sit. So this was at Denver's Comic-Con.

Josh 49:20

Oh, okay.

Anh 49:20

And we paid for the the photo because you know, we you know, like it's Stan Lee number one and two. How long would we be able to still have Stan Le amongst us? So, um, and they warned us, all his handles was like, do not touch him. If you talk, do not talk in his direction. He's a very delicate man. And I was deathly sick with the cold.

Josh 49:44

Oh boy.

Anh 49:45

Not only was I hacking away throughout the whole day up to that of uh on that event and stuff like that, um, I shook his hands like an idiot. And then like, so they they they kind of And then a few days later he died. No, JD Vance. It was a couple men that killed Stanley. No, it's not true. He died a couple years later. Um, I never had cold. Never never it was a persistent cold, by the way. But anywho, so so I guess because I was the girl, they like shoved me in the front and they were like, because you know a lot of people want to see Stan Lee, so they won't want it. And my husband, who you know, you know, love him, socially awkward, he was like, uh, so like, where do I go? And they're like, just get in the damn bam, and like we'll take the picture. And Stanley goes, You nailed it. Just get in the picture, son. So we're all like, and so that's the story of meeting Stan Lee. So, but no, I fortunately did not kill Stan Lee. I did physically make contact, even though I was warned to not speak in his direction. I didn't cough at him, but I did shake his hand, like it wasn't fist bump, it was full, like palm to palm.

Josh 50:58

So, what was it? So obviously, meeting Stan Lee at a Comic Con is fantastic. What else was drawing you to that Comic Con? I'm willing to bet that that wasn't the only thing there that you guys were interested in seeing.

Anh 51:10

So we are uh nerds. My husband Oh, you're a good company. Yeah, my husband is a G1 Transformer, big fan. We used to do the bot cons, but they don't do bot cons anymore. Um, it's if you aren't aware of, we were like, what the heck is a bot con? It's the Transformer Conventions. The group that actually um facilitated them were based out of Dallas. Oh, okay. Until Hasbro was like, no, we're taking it over. And now HasbroCon is now bot con. Um, but they also include the other stuff like you know, Miley DePlowney and G.I. Joe and all that stuff. But um, so but but we did bot cons because he's a G1 Transformer fan, and so I would go and and we we've met Jed Nelson.

Josh 51:48

Okay.

Anh 51:49

Um, Hot Rod, um, and a few people. We've not met Peter Cullen, um, who does the voice of Optimus Prime. Oh, it's a good one. But um I just like seeing people like cosplay and stuff like that. I met um R2D2 um and stuff like that. So it was really cool. And at that same Comic-Con, because um there's not a lot of those anymore at that in my opinion, like post-COVID, I feel like they've just drastically cut down like the people that would show up to sign up and do photo ops and stuff like that. Um, so I was very fortunate to that. And that Cersei was there. Oh so oh my god, she is okay. I'm sorry. It's Krista and then Cersei. Because his wife, if y'all, if y'all haven't caught the video version of that podcast, you should. I am punching above my world class. Can I marry her? Sure.

Josh 52:45

Krista? No, so you're absolutely right. And so Lena Hetty is the actress who plays Cersei, and she is gorgeous, she's gorgeous, and she's really funny. Like, I don't know if you heard her speak at all, but she's she's super sarcastic and witty and and like I can only see her as Cersei, and I just wanna hate her. Yeah, because her character sucks.

Anh 53:12

Her character is evil, yes, yeah, and it's so hard, like but in person, she's so charming and be just more gorgeous than her character, because you know, Cersei's gorgeous, but you know, she had her natural brunette hair, and so I was like, okay, I'm gonna do all of this. And so, you know, at these conventions, which I didn't I haven't done a lot of that was like more general nerd stuff. I we did a lot of the Transformer stuff because they're expensive, I'm not gonna lie. And and putting forth the money to take a picture with the Stan Lee, um, you know, all of that was collectively very expensive. So it was just like it happened to be in Denver, which is where we were living at the time. It was an opportunity to meet Stan Lee, and I was like, what the heck?

Pamela 53:52

Let's add in meeting Cersei and then um and get my family and I are a part of the Marvel universe. I like Marvel over DC.

Anh 54:01

DC. Agreed.

Pamela 54:03

Which is unfortunate because I do like a lot of DC. I love Batman. I love Catwoman. Batman and Wonder Woman.

Anh 54:10

Wait, wait, who's your Batman though?

Josh 54:13

Oh, that's a good question.

Anh 54:15

Who's your Batman? Christian Bale. Yes. I'm sorry, Michael Keaton.

Josh 54:21

Okay, okay. He is the OG film Batman.

Anh 54:26

I do love, okay.

Pamela 54:27

I love it.

Anh 54:27

If you said Ben Hoofleck, I'm sorry.

Josh 54:32

No. I okay, I never actually watched the Ben Affleck Batman. Oh, you're good. I won't I will own it.

Pamela 54:38

No, I I haven't seen it.

Josh 54:40

But so for me, the Christian Bale, okay, I'm gonna get so nerdy with this. The the Christian Bale, the Dark Knight trilogy movies are great for a lot of reasons. I think Christian Bale is one of them. The cinematography's excellent, but for me, it's Christopher Nolan. It's the director who did those three movies.

Anh 55:01

I didn't like the Catwoman there, though.

Josh 55:03

Oh, I'll I love you and Halfly did not like your Catwoman. Oh, I very much liked your Catwoman.

Pamela 55:11

That was good. Uh that was also Killian Murphy. Yeah. I loved him Scarecrow and Keith Ledger. No, I guess. Yeah. I was okay The Butler.

Anh 55:23

The Butler.

Josh 55:24

Oh, Michael Kane.

Anh 55:25

Michael Kane. There we go. Yes, Alfie. Yes. Um, I'm sorry. I did not like well spoken Bane. Sorry. Bane is dopey. Burn. And this guy was like, he spoke English with coherent sentences. I was I did not like he was super intimidating. Sorry. You have to be dope. I mean, you're like, you're boozed up with all those chemicals. You can't be coherent mentally and lucid.

Josh 55:52

I think, but and I think what you're drawing from is like the the animated series. Well, the animated series and the comic books. Is that my tell? And that's that's like excellent. I love that you're drawing from that. I think they I think Christopher Nolan had to sort of recreate that character because he had created such a serious environment around Batman that he couldn't have dopey, like, squirrel uh bane. Like he he needed somebody that was gonna be really calculated. And like what makes what made the Joker dangerous is you never knew what the Joker was gonna do because he was so random, he was so off the cuff, he was so unpredictable and psycho. And then he needed something that was gonna be slightly the polar opposite of that in Bane, where he's very calculated, he's very con like he he's in control of everything that he's doing and has a plan always. And so I I like how they recreated his character. I do agree with you in that it's shift from the animated series for sure. But I liked what they did with his character, but I'm also the kind of guy could have also done all that stuff and not said a damn thing.

Anh 56:56

Uh that's because I think Marion's character could have done all the talking on his behalf with this, you know, the strategic delivery of all the things that they were doing because it wasn't him solo.

Josh 57:07

That's true. That's true, but we don't find that out until the end. Oh, sorry, spoiler alert. Well, if you haven't watched it by now, that's on you and everybody. Um but yeah, the I agree, like Marion was the brains of the operation, and they kind of split that apart a little bit, and uh, I think they needed to save that reveal for the end to give the end sort of a twist. Um, because you don't really know that that's what's going on until the very end of that film. But I loved, loved Tom Hardy as Bane, and I loved seeing Batman as a character have to sort of be broken and then recover. Like, that's that's one of the only films I can remember where he is like physically destroyed and has to bounce back from nothing to something. Like, that's a really fun thing. It's a fun character arc to watch, and I thought Christian Bale did a brilliant job of that.

Anh 58:00

And that was right after Machinist, so he lost all that weight, and then he has to be the machinist. Then he had to like put on all that weight, and and like in my opinion, his recovery from all that weight loss was actually good. Whereas I think Matthew McConaughey has never recovered from losing all that weight, but that's the kind of scary thing about Christian Bale and his method acting is like he puts his body through some severe stuff. So the fact that he was able to deliver Batman after losing all that weight for Machinist, yeah, where he ate like, I don't know, a cube of chicken, boiled chicken every day or something. That was like the extent of his thing.

Josh 58:34

Um less than 500 calories a day. I remember reading it.

Anh 58:36

But yeah, but like you are correct. But like, I but what took me away from it was Catwoman. Sorry. Earth the kit, Michelle Pfeiffer. I mean, I'll give you a couple of things. Sorry, Halle Berry. Oh, but no. Oh, okay. I love you, girl. Not at that. No, bro. It's fine.

Josh 58:56

It's fine. No, this has been fun, but but am I leaving? Are you kicking me off? No, I'll just leave. Ann Hathaway. I think I just have a really huge crush on her anyway. And so her as Catwoman was just sort of a very easy bridge for me to cross. It's like, oh, you're awesome, and now you're Catwoman, so cool. Um, but she's she's a lot of what she touches, I think gets better because she's in it. She improves other people's projects, and and I have a lot of respect for her. I appreciate the Michael Keaton love too.

Pamela 59:29

Like, I didn't know Yeah, I mean, I definitely have respect for my, you know, that's what we grew up with. But there was just something about the Christian Bale series that with it, but it wasn't just him, it was the other people, the story, the way it was told, the whole thing, like you know, we can go back and forth on who's the better Batman, but I think I really liked the the Christian Bale series.

Josh 59:58

Like well, and I'm I'm not sure anyone will ever really be able to play the Joker again in the way that he fledgered. Like, I I was such a huge fan of Were they Jared Leto after that? Yeah, yeah, and I like Jared Leto.

Pamela 1:00:13

Which is interesting. Like, why are they reusing because he's in Suicide Squad.

Josh 1:00:19

He is, yeah.

Pamela 1:00:20

Like, I don't like like they're reusing characters.

Anh 1:00:23

I mean, then the Joker movie came out, so it is a multiverse world now, right?

Josh 1:00:27

Yeah, yeah, and then you got Joaquin Phoenix, but uh I liked him telling the origin story in the first permit.

Anh 1:00:36

Can we also say that uh number two for me is not Christian Bale?

Josh 1:00:41

Okay. Adam West.

Anh 1:00:44

Okay, so that's kicking it old school, and and I I before my time, but not before my time, because we had reruns back in my day.

Josh 1:00:52

Sure. Yeah. And Adam West, uh what little of him that I've watched, he yeah, it it's I think what what I struggle with is I like a grittier experience with Batman, like the Christian Bell films with Christopher Nolan at the helm, or you know, even to some degree the the Robert Pattinson film, I I didn't think it was great, but I watched it on a plane once and I was like, I get it. Like I see what you guys are trying to do. It's honestly and I'm interested in your thoughts if you've seen it, but the the I thought they just took the Dark Knight trilogy and they were basically like, what if we made it darker?

Anh 1:01:34

Oh and what if we made it younger and more emo?

Josh 1:01:37

It was younger and more emo. Um, but it was I I didn't think the movie was terrible.

Anh 1:01:42

I think I think Colin Farrell's penguin outshined his Batman.

Josh 1:01:49

Oh, I completely agree with that.

Anh 1:01:50

I mean, yeah, there's a reason why he has his own HBO show, right? And so that that's that's where like it's a different flavor, and I can appreciate a different flavor, but when your side character takes more of the energy and engagement of the film, I'm kind of like eh, I can do without.

Pamela 1:02:10

So, unpopular opinion, there is not a single Superman I have ever liked. I don't like Super, I don't like Superman, I don't, I don't know what it is, I never have, I don't think I ever will. Like, and I think that's part of why I prefer Marvel over DC, because there's very rarely a Marvel movie I don't like. But so, like for me, for a good time, it's even a Toby McGuire oh Spider-Man is not my favorite, but I didn't dislike him.

Anh 1:02:42

What about Andrew Garfield? Yes, I liked him. Yeah, okay. See, I like Emma Stone.

Josh 1:02:49

Yeah, yeah.

Anh 1:02:51

But I I love I love the uh Tom Holland's. Oh yeah.

Josh 1:02:56

Well, he's so boyish with it, but he's boyish in a way that's a lot of people. Exactly.

Anh 1:03:00

Yeah, it's proper. Yeah, Toby McGuire. I was like, I'm sorry, they need to de-age you a little bit more.

Pamela 1:03:06

I love all the Miles Morales. Yes, oh yes.

Anh 1:03:09

I love those.

Josh 1:03:09

I watch those of my son all the time.

Pamela 1:03:11

Those are well, and it's the soundtracks.

Anh 1:03:14

Well, it's soundtrack, but also I kind of feel like I don't do drugs, but if I did, I think it feels like this.

Josh 1:03:20

Give me top three-ish Marvel movies. So like within the within the Avengers series. So that's all the way from Iron Man, the first one, all the way to the That's easy. Oh, great. I love it.

Anh 1:03:36

Chris Evans with the beard. Doesn't matter the movie.

Josh 1:03:43

So as long as Captain America has facial hair, you're in.

Anh 1:03:46

America's ass, you're mine. Um what was that? Was that in game?

Josh 1:03:52

Uh well, uh it was uh uh Winter Soldier? Wasn't that the first? No, no, no, no, no. No, that's Sebastian Stan. Yeah. Uh shoot. It was after their So that's when he they all came back.

Anh 1:04:06

So that must have been in game, I do believe. I forget if I because I'm about names.

Josh 1:04:11

I don't think it's endgame. I it might have been Infinity War.

Anh 1:04:15

No, so this is when so he's so Thanos had already snapped, and then they brought him back.

Josh 1:04:20

Oh, that's right, that's right, that's right. And so, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm remembering now, and he's doing that support group for people who have so that then it was Captain America and the very first Iron Man.

Anh 1:04:32

Okay. So growing up, first love of my life, Mr. Robert Downey Jr. Weird science of all things. That something about him and the lips and just the soda drinking at the mall scene. Yeah. Robert, if you're out there.

Josh 1:04:53

So top three.

Pamela 1:04:55

Top three. I can think of two. Uh okay, okay. Uh Logan.

Anh 1:05:01

That's a good one. But not top three for me.

Pamela 1:05:05

Deadpool. And I don't know. Uh that's that's tough.

Josh 1:05:17

Um anything from the Avengers series.

Pamela 1:05:21

I think I think the I don't know if I want to go with the first or the second Black Panther.

Josh 1:05:28

Oh, yeah.

Pamela 1:05:29

Those are okay.

Anh 1:05:31

So, like if you were like top five, I could but yes, but I forgot.

Josh 1:05:37

Okay, so so Black Panther is is number two for me. Um the the first one is my second favorite. My my and I'm gonna be cliche and y'all can hang me for it, whatever. But I'm sorry, I thought Endgame was a blast. And I thought it was very poignantly done. I thought the ending was beautiful. I uh you know it. It was j I I I liked it and I know that it's popular to not like it. It's fine. But just as far as character development, as far as just the overall plot lines and story and the epic battle and all that, like I just thought it was a blast. And I don't know. And and then I will go. This one is I didn't watch this movie in theaters. I had to see I think I watched also watched it on a plane and then watched it again at my house on a bigger screen because first Doctor Strange movie. I I didn't think it was great. I liked it because it was different. It didn't feel like anything else in the Marvel in that Avengers scene. It just felt so different. And it got my attention, and I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was particularly great at that character. I never actually like the movie itself. I was like, okay, there's there's hits and misses here. But I appreciated that it just was a departure from so much of the other character arcs we were seeing.

Anh 1:07:01

Yeah.

Josh 1:07:02

And and Benedict Cumberbatch is just a master at his craft. And I just will watch anything he does because I think he's a genius.

Anh 1:07:09

I actually caught a preview, so I didn't have to watch the full movie, and I don't think I could survive a full movie of that in IMAX. Oh, with all the shifting colors, we had to step out because it was very, it was very, it's too like I get motion sickness from playing Spear uh Spyro, the dragon flying game. Um, and so I couldn't, I we couldn't really last through the preview. I had to shut my eyes multiple times because it was just overstimulating with the movement and the colors and the transitions to the different um phasing. But it was like watching at home, it was a lot easier to take in. But watching on IMAX, if you enjoy that kind of stuff, you there's a replay of doing it when they bring back the Marvel universe in the new doomsday stuff, and they bring back old stuff in the IMAX. I would recommend it if that's your thing. Yeah. Because it was too intense for me, but it might not be intense for you. Yeah.

Pamela 1:07:58

Yeah. The one thing I mean, I don't like when Marvel, well, and I guess DC too, when they just remake the kind of the same thing, you know, the multiple Batmans, the multiple Spider-Mans. Um, of course, I end up liking them, but it's still like sometimes I'm like, just like we've got three, just let it go. Rank your rank your Spider-Man. Uh I can Andrew Garfield, then Tom, then Holland, and that's it. But you mentioned Toby, you're not even gonna put him on your list. Nope. Um, so uh nope.

Anh 1:08:39

How about you?

Josh 1:08:39

What's your what's your um I'll flip hers. It's for me it's Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and and then Toby McGuire in this era of Spider-Man. Um, but like those are the I appreciate the Toby Maguire ones because he was sort of OG um and then I don't know, Tom Holland. He like I said earlier, he just has that boyish quality that really sells Peter Parker. Yeah, and I love that about him. Um but also I thought Andrew Garfield was great. I thought I thought it was witty and funny, and and he just gave it a different spin. And I'm also the kind of guy who will feel biased about a character in a movie if I really like the actor, and I really like Andrew Garfield, like he is a wholesome human being. Like you watch any of the interviews he does or things like that, he has this whole thing this is worth pulling up on YouTube. He has this whole um thing that he talked about quite a bit. I think it was after his mom passed away a couple years ago, and he just talks about grief so beautifully, and he has so much to say about that whole experience. It's really just awesome.

Pamela 1:09:45

I think it was on was it Colbert that he was doing an interview? I think it was Colbert. He does an interview, and it's really yeah, he's talking about grief. What about you?

Anh 1:09:57

I would say same with him, would be Tom Holland, and because I in my opinion, he totally embodies I think at points his voice did like crook up in that awkward, like squeak moments. Andrew Garfield and Toby. I'm I'm sorry, Toby. I just I don't know for some reason it's just weird.

Pamela 1:10:14

Um it wasn't, I don't think I disliked it when it came out, but I think we just had better spider bands after that, and then it was like by comparison, I'm like meh. I will say the reason why Logan is number one for me, not just because it's an amazing movie.

Anh 1:10:28

It is amazing. But that that actress that was X13 was that her character's name.

Pamela 1:10:38

I think so. Uh she that movie the day it came out was March 3rd. That was the day my son was due. And I was really hoping he would come out on his due date. He did not, but we could not decide a name for him until the very last second, and we're laying in bed, and a a preview or whatever commercial for Logan comes on, comes out on the due date, and I just looked at Josh and I was like, What about Logan? He's like, Okay. So even though he was born a couple days later, yeah, my son is named after Wolverine, which is perfect because X-Men is my favorite universe in Marvel.

Anh 1:11:22

Okay, well, who's your favorite X-Person?

Pamela 1:11:28

I don't know, that's hard.

Josh 1:11:30

My favorite one's not in the movies.

Pamela 1:11:32

Okay.

Josh 1:11:33

Gambit. Josh.

Pamela 1:11:35

Well, hang on. Deadpool. Yes.

Josh 1:11:38

Yeah, agreed. But I'm just talking about sort of the original.

Pamela 1:11:41

I think that's Josh's favorite too, because he's talking he talks about Gambit. Yeah.

Josh 1:11:44

I'm surprised they haven't done a I'm surprised too because I think it's a low-hanging fruit. I'm sure it's coming.

Anh 1:11:49

I think it's all the graphics with the cards and stuff like that flinging it around. It might be a little challenging, but they did a little experiment. I think it'd do all Gambit's in animated. He's in the animated series.

Pamela 1:11:59

So yeah, I mean, they did Miles Morales animated.

Josh 1:12:03

Yeah, that's actually a great idea. That's what they should do is do like a whole animated thing.

Anh 1:12:06

So Marvel, if you would like. He is a A V guy, so right.

Josh 1:12:10

I I definitely can do everything Marvel does.

Anh 1:12:12

And if you would like to sponsor us, right, yeah.

Josh 1:12:15

This episode brought to you by hopefully somebody. Yes.

Pamela 1:12:19

One day.

Josh 1:12:19

Okay, so we have covered wonderful ground. We have uh established all of our obvious uh preferences, and we're right about all of them. So um, if you disagree with anything that we said, you're wrong. And we are so thrilled that you joined us. Uh, thank you so much, Ann, for hanging out. We're gonna have you back and talk about more nerdy stuff. Um, because this has been delightful. Um, but we are gonna call it for this one because it's they're hungry. Yeah, well, and it's just a I we could go on forever.

Pamela 1:12:50

That's really good.

Josh 1:12:51

That's that's what I was trying to say. We'll be here till midnight. Yeah, I I wasn't doing the job orders. But anyway, thank you so much for joining us. Please find us on Substack. Uh, we would love it if you subscribe to us there. That's also where all of our premium content lives.

Pamela 1:13:04

Um, you can there's good stuff out there, it's really good.

Josh 1:13:06

And actually, I I think there's some more good stuff coming. And if you want to watch me slide down Pamela and Josh's front yard, that's the place to see it.

Pamela 1:13:14

Um, so we have it from multiple angles.

Josh 1:13:17

You really do.

Pamela 1:13:18

We get it because we got it from the driveway and from the doorbell.

Josh 1:13:21

Right. Do you want to put music to it?

Pamela 1:13:22

Oh, well, I'll let you know that.

Josh 1:13:24

Yeah. Uh so anyway, we've we've got cool stuff worth watching. So uh all of our social media channels, Instagram, TikTok, um, our YouTube page, uh, please, please, please find all that. Like it all, subscribe, do all the things. You know how this works because you are live in 2026 with us. So uh anyway, thank you so much for joining us, and we will be back in your ear holes very, very soon.

Pamela 1:13:47

Well, that's it for premeditated opinions, where the thoughts were fully baked and only mildly regrettable. If you enjoyed today's episode, congrats on having truly excellent taste and podcasting opinions. Following us on YouTube and Instagram is a quick and easy way to support us. So if you liked literally anything about today's episode, please like and subscribe.

Josh 1:14:10

Also, send this to someone who needs to feel seen, dragged, or both. We'll be back next week with more unsolicited insight and emotionally responsible spiraling. And until then, please stay hydrated and behave yourself in the comments. But if you don't, at least make it clear.