Reddit Soup For The Soul | Reading Reddit Stories
Finally happy stories again!! For FREE breakfast for life go to https://hellofresh.com/freepitreddit!
0:00 Intro
0:58 Got hearing aids and cried because my cat purred. https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualConversation/comments/fkkdz5/got_hearing_aids_today_and_cried_because_my_cat/
6:22 I'm secretly my boyfriend's livestream viewers... https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueOffMyChest/comments/t1yka5/i_am_secretly_my_boyfriends_live_stream_viewers/
11:45 AITA for not baking much for my family? https://www.rareddit.com/r/relationship_advice/comments/gcrhf9/sister_and_mom_upset_i_dont_bake_for_them_more/
20:38 My best friend asked if I would be her sperm donor for her surrogate and she has no idea I'm in love with her. https://www.reddit.com/r/relationship_advice/comments/awcz37/my_32_m_best_friend_asked_if_i_would_be_her_30_f/
30:03 Freaked out my girlfriend's coworkers by taking her out to lunch. https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/1b26j2c/tifu_by_freaking_out_my_gfs_coworkers_by_taking/
37:18 AITA for giving my old cello to a fellow student in need and not my niece-in-law? https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/zsg5gi/wibta_for_giving_my_old_cello_to_a_fellow_student/
47:50 My girlfriend did the sweetest thing for my brother and now I know she's the one. https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueOffMyChest/comments/vg7r5a/my_girlfriend_27f_did_the_sweetest_thing_for_my/
53:33 Anyone out there who could help save my wedding? https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hg5im/any_chance_theres_anyone_out_there_who_could_help/
SUBSCRIBE: https://smo.sh/Sub2SmoshPit
WEAR OUR JOKES: https://smosh.com
WHO YOU HEAR
Courtney Miller // https://www.instagram.com/co_mill/
Shayne Topp // https://www.instagram.com/shaynetopp/
Angela Giarratana // https://www.instagram.com/angelagiovanagiarratana/
WHO YOU DON’T HEAR (usually)
Director: Emily Rose Jacobson
Editor: Vida Robbins
Director of Programming, Smosh Pit: Emily Rose Jacobson
Associate Producer, Smosh Pit: Bailey Petracek
Production Designer: Cassie Vance
Art Director: Erin Kuschner
Art Coordinator: Alex Aguilar, Josie Bellerby
Prop Master: Courtney Chapman
Audio Mixer: Scott Neff
Audio Utility: Dina Ramli
Director of Photography: James Hull
Camera Operator: Eric Wann
Camera Operator: Ryan Blewett
Assistant Director: Alexcina Figueroa
Director of Production: Amanda Barnes
Production Manager: Alexcina Figueroa
Production Coordinator: Zianne Hoover
Operations & Production Coordinator: Oliver Wehlander
Production Assistant: Ovsana Tsaturian
Post Production Manager: Luke Baker
DIT/Lead AE: Matt Duran
IT: Tim Baker
Director of Design: Brittany Hobbs
Graphic Designers: Ness Cardano, Monica Ravitch
Senior Manager, Channel & Strategy: Lizzy Jones
Channel Operations Coordinator: Audrey Carganilla
Director of Social Media: Erica Noboa
Social Creative Producer: Peter Ditzler, Tommy Bowe
Merchandising Manager: Mallory Myers
Social Media Coordinator: Kim Wilborn
Talent Coordinator: Selina Garcia
Operations PA: Katie Fink
CEO: Alessandra Catanese
EVP of Programming: Kiana Parker
Coordinating Producer of Programming: Marcus Munguia
Executive Coordinator: Rachel Collis
OTHER SMOSHES:
Smosh: https://smo.sh/Sub2Smosh
Smosh Games: https://smo.sh/Sub2SmoshGames
El Smosh (Spanish Dub): https://smo.sh/Sub2ElSmosh
SmoshCast: https://smo.sh/Sub2SmoshCast
FOLLOW US:
TikTok: https://smo.sh/TikTok
Snapchat: http://smo.sh/OnSnapchat
Instagram: https://instagram.com/smosh
Facebook: https://facebook.com/smosh
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Press play and read along
Transcript
Speaker 1 If you're a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility and your machinery isn't working right, Grainger knows you need to understand what's wrong as soon as possible.
Speaker 1 So, when a conveyor motor falters, Granger offers diagnostic tools like calibration kits and multimeters to help you identify and fix the problem.
Speaker 1 With Granger, you can be confident you have everything you need to keep your facility running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRANGER, ClickGranger.com, or just stop by.
Speaker 2 Granger for the ones who get it done.
Speaker 3 There's nothing like sinking into luxury. Anibay sofas combine ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price.
Speaker 3 Anibay has designed the only fully machine washable sofa from top to bottom. The stain-resistant performance fabric slip covers and cloud-like frame duvet can go straight into your wash.
Speaker 3 Perfect for anyone with kids, pets, or anyone who loves an easy-to-clean, spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slip covers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style.
Speaker 3 Whether you need a single chair, love seat, or a luxuriously large sectional, Annabe has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home.
Speaker 3 Sofas started just $699 and right now, get early access to Black Friday savings, up to 60% off store-wide, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Shop now at washablesofas.com.
Speaker 2 Add a little
Speaker 2 to your life.
Speaker 3 Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
Speaker 2
Hi, welcome back to Reddit Stories. I'm Shane, and today we've got a very sweet episode.
It's all the wholesome stories. And I'm joined by two of my friends, Courtney and Angela.
Speaker 2
How's it going? We're good. We were told we might cry today.
Yeah. We were warned we're gonna cry.
And I'm trying really hard right now to be wholesome. We're being so wholesome.
Speaker 2
I'm making a hole with my hand. I'm trying not to, yeah.
I'm trying not to be chaotic chaotic and stupid.
Speaker 2 But that's your bread.
Speaker 2 Hey!
Speaker 2
This is gonna be good. I'm excited.
This is gonna be a good time.
Speaker 2
We'll see who cries first. Happy updates? Who knew? Who knew? This first title almost made me cry.
Uh-oh, uh-oh.
Speaker 2 All right, are we ready? Uh-huh. Uh-oh.
Speaker 2 No, don't read it.
Speaker 2 Okay, this first story comes from from the Too Hot Takes subreddit as well as the Casual Conversation subreddit.
Speaker 2 Shout out to Morgan over at Too Hot Takes.
Speaker 2 Got hearing aids today and cried because my cat purred.
Speaker 2 Oh my god.
Speaker 2 We're so fucked. I know I think you have
Speaker 2 screwed. Okay.
Speaker 2 Let's cry, dude.
Speaker 2 I, a 31-year-old woman, began to lose my hearing about 10 years ago when I was in the military. My husband and I got a cat about five years ago.
Speaker 2 I've never owned a cat before, so I had no idea what kind of noises they made besides meow, so I had no context for what to expect when I heard my cat purr for the first time today.
Speaker 2 I was laying in bed, and he jumped up next to me and snuggled into my armpit. I started to feel him vibrate like he always does, and then I heard it.
Speaker 2
I was so scared at first, I didn't understand what the sound was. Then it clicked.
Purring isn't just vibrating, it's a sound. I can hear it.
Speaker 2 My cat has wandered off now but I keep bursting into tears just thinking about his purr. I've never heard a cat purr before and it's so sweet.
Speaker 2
There's this ethereal quality to it I can't even describe. It has this rhythmic pattern to it.
It's all nasally but low and fluttery.
Speaker 2 My husband and kids are sleeping and I don't want to wake them up but I'll tell them in the morning I just wanted to share this joy I'm feeling with someone now.
Speaker 2
Also, I've been amazed at quite a few sounds I didn't know I was missing. I forgot when you rip paper towels, they actually make a rip sound.
I heard the fan in the living room.
Speaker 2
I can hear the clock above my desk ticking. Turns out I have no idea how to whisper.
My own voice sounds so strange. Consonants sound strange.
Speaker 2
The water running in the tub when I was giving my toddler a bath last night sounded so loud. I can't wait to hear more.
Aww.
Speaker 2 I
Speaker 2 special. I'm dead.
Speaker 2 That's really sweet. Yeah.
Speaker 2 They actually recently came out with some new research on house cats and purring and how like it's actually a phenomenon that they can do that because big cats, that is normal because their vocal cords are so big that creating a low frequency like that is normal.
Speaker 2 But since these cats are so small, they're like, actually, this is really fantastic that they're able to do that.
Speaker 2 Yeah, so that's funny. And then also, I've heard stories about people who didn't realize like their hair made sound when you brush it and stuff.
Speaker 2
That's wild. That's gotta be be so cool for life.
Connecting to a an animal's like sound.
Speaker 2
Like, okay, my dog, my dog doesn't bark at all. And once I heard him bark and I just started sopping.
Aww. And that's what I was like, I don't know, that's very different.
But I was like,
Speaker 2 I was like, wow, it's kind of like hearing your kids' first words when they're like, wow, you made a sound.
Speaker 2 And it's so,
Speaker 2 oh my God.
Speaker 2 It's very sweet. I relate to to this because our cat,
Speaker 2 Bones, he wakes me up like very early in the morning if I'm not like in the right position in bed because he likes to get up and curl up right here and sleep.
Speaker 2
And he purrs. He purs the whole time.
Yeah, he's blasting off. Yeah.
But he'll meow at me until I like move and like lay in the right way so he can get in there. Every single morning?
Speaker 2 Pretty much every morning, yeah. Early like it'll be like four or five where he'll wake me up and then he'll get there and then I'll wake up seven or eight and he's still there.
Speaker 2 So he'll sleep for hours there. And he does the thing that I've seen a lot of cats do where like he'll walk up and then like slam, you know, like they
Speaker 2 flop in into you. It's very sweet.
Speaker 2
Some comments here. Just wait until you hear tree leaves flutter in the wind.
OP said, and I'm sobbing again. I haven't even thought about that sound in years.
Speaker 2
I wonder how long it's been since I heard leaves rustling. Someone said, now I'm crying with you.
I really do take such simple sounds for granted.
Speaker 2 Tomorrow I'm going to go into my backyard and just listen. If you haven't yet, open the windows tomorrow morning and hear the sounds of the birds in the distance and maybe your cat will chirp too.
Speaker 2
It's a funny noise if you haven't heard it from your boy yet. Someone said, this is so sweet.
I'm hard of hearing and wear hearing aids in both ears.
Speaker 2 I had a similar experience when I got my first pair. I kept hearing tires hitting the pavement while my parents were driving or when I heard rain for the first time and it was a whole new world.
Speaker 2
Different sounds will continue to amaze you. Enjoy it.
It's such a cool experience. So exciting.
Wow. Yeah.
Speaker 2 It is also what she said, did she say something about like thinking that the purr sound was weird before she lost her hearing? She just thought it was like a vibrating thing that she didn't realize.
Speaker 2 Yeah, she said she started losing her hearing 10 years before.
Speaker 2 I am a little curious that she just never heard a cat purr before that, but if she never had a cat and was never close to a cat, maybe just never really experienced it.
Speaker 2
What's special about that, though, is like that sounds that we may not think are beautiful, when you lose them, they come back. And it's just like the joy of being alive.
It's just the sound.
Speaker 2 rather than like a good pleasing sound it's just like a sound oh yeah i i i get that i also relate like in other senses too like sometimes when you're you're you stop and just kind of like look at stuff and you're just like oh wow everything's so vibrant and crazy looking
Speaker 2 yeah beautiful very sweet
Speaker 2 okay moving on
Speaker 2
I am secretly my boyfriend's live stream viewers. This comes from True Off My Chest.
My boyfriend has just started streaming and he seems pretty excited about it.
Speaker 2 He didn't buy a whole setup yet, but live streams whenever he is on. I streamed briefly and know how hard it is to get viewers.
Speaker 2 I open multiple private browsers on my personal laptop, work laptop, and phone. This way I can have his stream going and it counts as multiple viewers.
Speaker 2
When he saw four, he was stoked. It's only four viewers, but he was so happy.
There's very little in this world right now that can cause that genuine happiness and expression.
Speaker 2
I sit on the other side of the couch with the volume down on all devices and just pretend I'm doing schoolwork. Edit.
Wow, I appreciate the kind comments.
Speaker 2 I haven't shared his link because the purpose of this post was to get something off my chest and not farm subs. I believe he is capable of it on his own.
Speaker 2
It's just to keep him motivated and I have already shared with friends and family. I also don't want him to find out.
He plays Warzone slash Vanguard.
Speaker 2
Perhaps you'll come across his stream in the future. He streams on Twitch.
I give him four viewers, not a thousand. This is something I've literally done for the last two weeks.
Speaker 2 Do not tell me I have copied and pasted. I have no reason.
Speaker 2
Also, thank you for the awards. I'm fairly new to Reddit and I enjoy this community.
Wow.
Speaker 2 That came from
Speaker 2 over a year ago, so
Speaker 2 I wonder what the status is now. It was ninja.
Speaker 2 My boyfriend, Kai Sinat.
Speaker 2
This is sweet. We do this with Spencer here.
Yeah, we do that with Spencer. And I really appreciate all the comments saying nice things about Spencer.
We know
Speaker 2
he's actually a piece of shit, but I'm glad we make him feel nice. You do what you do for the people you love.
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2
Comments on this one? Final words on your deathbed to your boyfriend slash future husband. I was all four of your live stream viewers.
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 Someone said, you can tell him that you were his viewer, supporter, fan, and lover.
Speaker 2 Someone said, on one hand, it's sweet and very supportive of you, but on the other hand, I always wonder what their reaction would be if they found out.
Speaker 2 There's no harm in doing so, but depending on the expectations, it would be akin to pulling back the curtains if it was revealed that all of his four viewers was just his girlfriend he was trying to interact with.
Speaker 2 Someone said, I mean, I personally would be super happy. Someone clearly cares about you if they're willing to go to lengths to make you happy.
Speaker 2 I think that's worth sacrificing the approval of four internet strangers. So lastly, someone said, I do this for my man too.
Speaker 2 I've been doing it for a few months now, and slowly his following is growing. I got so excited when he got real viewers that I almost blew my cover.
Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean,
Speaker 2 also, I don't, you know, she's like, oh, I'm not trying to farm, farm viewers, but it's like, dude, if you're trying to do it, like, that is literally when you're starting out, you got to do whatever to get viewers.
Speaker 2 Yeah. I don't think that'd be a shame.
Speaker 2 It sounds like she did post his link somewhere, though. So
Speaker 2
that's the nicest thing. Yeah.
I remember when I was a kid and like, I did it at Lemonade Stand once with my cousins. A lemonade stand? And my parents like like I was a kid.
Speaker 2
My parents are the only one that bought lemonade and I was so fucking pissed. That sucks.
I was like, it doesn't count if you know me.
Speaker 2 I need to sell lemonade to a neighbor who doesn't know me. I think it's really sweet because there's been stories where someone's like, oh, my partner streams and it's stupid and it's a waste of time.
Speaker 2 It's very nice, like if this is a passion of his,
Speaker 2 to support it. I mean, to support people's passions and hobbies and things like that is really great to like nurture that.
Speaker 2 Yeah, and I like, you know, I do think about like, if he were to find out, there is potential that he would be upset and distraught because he thought, like, you know, like, I wonder who these four people are.
Speaker 2
Maybe they're like some kid at home across the country. Like, and so yeah, but I would hope that, yeah, he saw the support in it.
And it's very cute. And I see that.
Speaker 2 It's like, yeah, you're, you're getting him motivated and making him excited about it. And yeah, I bet his following has totally grown since then.
Speaker 2 And not even just motivation, but like confidence, I feel like
Speaker 2 where you're like, oh, I have a couple people watching me, so I must be,
Speaker 2 and just that belief to be like, I'm worth it.
Speaker 2 If anything, like if she eventually tells him once he gets some real viewers, like
Speaker 2
he was learning to like be like, oh, there are people watching. I need to.
do this as if people are watching. And that changes things.
Speaker 2 And so it probably gave him a little bit of a head start of like practice.
Speaker 2 Like anytime I improvise with people who haven't really been improvising, I make sure to like laugh early a lot because once they feel confident, then they start actually playing and they like do stuff.
Speaker 2
So you like have to like foster that a little bit. You're so nice.
You too.
Speaker 2 Wholesome.
Speaker 2
Streaming is also, I think streaming gets such a bad rap. It's hard, man.
Whenever we do it, it's exhausting. Being by yourself.
It's really hard. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2 Trevor talked about for he was trying to stream for a long time and it is really hard.
Speaker 2
My little brother was trying to stream and he was like, yeah, no, I would have to be streaming like 12 hours a day to try and cultivate any kind of audience. Like he was struggling.
It's tough, man.
Speaker 2
It's just like, I don't know, it's a weird type of exhaustion that I get when I do it. So props to people who are starting at the ground level and building up.
It's really impressive. Next story.
Speaker 2 This comes from relationship advice and am I the asshole? Uh-oh.
Speaker 2 Okay.
Speaker 2
Am I the asshole for not baking much for my family? I, a 16-year-old boy, started dating my girlfriend two years ago. I also also got super, super into baking around that time.
I bake a lot.
Speaker 2 My girlfriend loves desserts, so I've given her a ton of stuff I bake, all kinds of different stuff. I often try to bake something new, and then she gets to try something new.
Speaker 2
I honestly love baking way more than eating it. My girlfriend is the opposite.
Well, recently she gave me a scrapbook she made.
Speaker 2 She had counted everything I baked her, apparently, and she gave me this scrapbook after I baked her 100th dessert.
Speaker 2
It was filled with a picture of every dessert I've baked and pictures of me baking and her eating. She wrote a paragraph about each item I baked.
She drew each item I baked as well.
Speaker 2 Each item was dated too. She had been working on this for two years.
Speaker 2 She also wrote a long letter in it on how proud she is for my baking hobby, thanking me for the sweets and telling me how much she loves me.
Speaker 2 It was the sweetest gift I've ever gotten and I honestly cried. I showed my mom and sister expecting them to think it's cute, but they were pissed.
Speaker 2 They were angry I've spent so much time baking for my girlfriend and not them. I just got into this habit and I loved making my girlfriend happy as well since she loves desserts.
Speaker 2 Should I have been baking for them more? Should I try to make it up to them? Did I hurt their feelings slash make them think I care about my girlfriend more? What in the world? Okay, uh,
Speaker 2 hopefully,
Speaker 2 damn. I could see it being like a joke, being like, what? Like,
Speaker 2 yeah, like, damn, where were all these cookies from? Yeah, but if they're genuinely pissed, then they suck. Okay.
Speaker 2
I'm going to do something and argue the other way. Okay.
Okay.
Speaker 2 Just for fun. Okay.
Speaker 2
What was important to me was that he was 16. Yeah.
Okay. That when my brother was young like that in this teenager phase, he hated me and my mom.
Speaker 2
Like he was like, so like, he just wasn't like sweet and lovely to us because he was like a teen. Right.
And he thought that was weird. Sure.
And then he got a girlfriend and my mom and I were like,
Speaker 2
he is so nice to her. Who is this man? Yeah.
Who is this?
Speaker 2 And he would be kind to her and buy her flowers. And my mom was like, I've never gotten flowers from you.
Speaker 2 And we made it about us. And then we
Speaker 2
quickly were like, okay, this isn't about us. Like, this is just him becoming like, like a partner.
And
Speaker 2
meanwhile, he would like throw his dirty socks in my face. You know what I mean? Sure.
And so, so I
Speaker 2 understand them going, you bake?
Speaker 2
Yes. You baked her daddy.
What about us? You baked her a hundred
Speaker 2 desserts, but us, nothing. Nothing?
Speaker 2
So I gotta get it. Two Two years.
That is surprising for him to be baking for over two years and to not once bring a batch over to the old mother and see us. Yeah.
Speaker 2 But his reaction seems like he does care because he's like, should I have been baking for them more? Like,
Speaker 2 he seems like he actually is kind of nice.
Speaker 2
He wouldn't probably write this post out if he really hated his mom and sister. No, you're so right.
Yeah. I don't think he was thinking about it.
Speaker 2 Like, yeah, like with your brother, maybe he's just not really thinking about it like that.
Speaker 2 Like when you're young like that and you're learning how to show love in different ways, like acts of service and stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 2 A bunch of comments on this. Can we talk about the girlfriend for a moment? How awesome is that? For two years, she tracked everything you made for her and put it in a scrapbook.
Speaker 2 Oh my fucking God, that is so sweet and made me tear up. And screw your family, you don't owe them shit.
Speaker 2 Which is like, honestly, kind of, yeah.
Speaker 2 Someone replied to that saying, to be honest, I might be a little hurt if my brother bakes stuff all the time for his girlfriend and not the fam. But I definitely would not be an ass about it.
Speaker 2 I would definitely look over that scrapbook and I would say something along the lines of, oh, this one looks amazing. Would you mind baking it for me sometime?
Speaker 2 Someone said, I think they have no room to be pissed. They don't seem to know how to communicate in a healthy way.
Speaker 2 A better thing for them to do would be to be proud of you for taking up a useful, nice skill and making your girlfriend happy and then maybe being like, bake us some too someday.
Speaker 2 What I don't get is, if you've been very into baking and doing it a lot and for a while.
Speaker 2 like you said have they not seen you do it not even once have they not known that you've been baking because their reaction just does not make sense to me.
Speaker 2 If they knew and are just getting angry at you out of nowhere, that's not fair. If they didn't, it's still not fair.
Speaker 2 Now, they could have asked or you could have told them, but the point is, instead of blowing up on you like that, it could have been handled way better.
Speaker 2 Making up or not is up to you, but the first thing you should do is probably have a talk about it.
Speaker 2
Lastly, someone said, really awesome. Both your girlfriend and your hobby.
Your mom and sister are entitled to their feelings too.
Speaker 2 They are probably a bit hurt and jealous and feel like they are missing out on on a part of you. This doesn't mean you have anything to make up to them, of course.
Speaker 2 But since they have shown interest in this part of you,
Speaker 2 including them in it a bit would be a nice gesture.
Speaker 2 Them expressing their feelings in a way that hurts yours should be addressed directly and you should simply let them know you were really excited and touched by what your girlfriend did and they brought you down and made you feel bad about something that was really important to you.
Speaker 2 Perhaps you understand now that they felt left out, but presumably they had many opportunities to show interest in your hobby at different times.
Speaker 2 And maybe it just didn't seem that they were excited about it to you yeah i think that's the best comment i've ever heard on reddit yeah that was a really good comment because it's like everybody loves baking right not like the act of it but you know we have two people here who are both named courtney who bring baked goods oh either of them or me and they both and they both bring delicious baked goods here all the time everybody loves that but i also can see where it's like doesn't seem like they are very interested in your personal interests or hobbies, which is common with a lot of parents where they just don't really realize that their kid has like stuff going on that they're doing.
Speaker 2 Oh my God, now I could totally picture if this was my brother to me, my mother, we'd go, what a nice book.
Speaker 2 Biscotti.
Speaker 2 A lemon cake.
Speaker 2
What about us? I totally can picture it. It's food though, you know, people love food.
Yeah. Damn, this is a very sweet relationship for 16-year-olds.
It's really sweet. Very emotionally.
Speaker 2
I hope they go the long haul. The long hole.
This is so sweet. She wrote it all down.
Speaker 2
Extremely long. She drew them.
She drew it. She was like the
Speaker 2 British Bake Off book. You know in the Great Big British Bake Off?
Speaker 2
When they draw the... Okay, I can't speak.
I can't speak. Today the contestants will be talking.
Speaker 2 It's always a gorgeous drawing of what they're trying to make.
Speaker 2 I would look at the book and I'd just be like, a bit stodgy.
Speaker 2
A bit stodgy. Okay, I need to make sure I can say it.
The great British bake off. Okay, I can say it.
Speaker 2 Have you guys ever made something or received something very sweet and heartfelt from a friend or anyone that comes to mind? Oh man, I mean, not at that level.
Speaker 2 Obviously,
Speaker 2
you bake a lot and I get to reap the benefits. Yeah.
Eat the bakes.
Speaker 2 I think I love crafting and I mean when I was in high school, I would make mixtapes for people and I would draw on them and make a pretty little
Speaker 2 oh, there was one thing I made where I took like a big jar
Speaker 2
and I wrote like little funny memories for my sister of us and inside jokes. And I would rip them and then like fold them up really tight.
And then
Speaker 2
I used to collect fortune cookie fortunes. I folded them up too and I put it in a jar.
I filled it up in the jar. And so whenever she was sad, she could pick one out.
Speaker 2 And it lasted her years. It makes me think back on
Speaker 2 our friends, Olivia and Sid, who wrote the Smosh the Sidcom, how for their birthdays they write like massive fan fiction.
Speaker 2 They write like
Speaker 2
dozens of pages of fan fiction for each other. And it's apparently the most insane shit ever.
It's crazy. Wow.
They spend months on it. I'm like, that's...
That's incredible. I love their friendship.
Speaker 2 Yeah. Wait, but what about the really ugly thing I made you guys for your wedding? That was not ugly.
Speaker 2
So ugly. No, it's incredible.
It's still an arcade. It's
Speaker 2 so ugly. No, she painted a wine bottle for us I painted a champagne bottle and I remember texting Amanda going does this look like an ass she goes no because it is C and it looks really bad
Speaker 2 it's still in our cabinet it's still in our cabinet every time I open up to make coffee or something I go oh and then I'm like
Speaker 2
tried it and then I didn't even get a good bottle of champagne to paint. I loved it.
We don't even know what kind it is because it's painted over. It's fine.
Yeah. It's a mystery.
mystery.
Speaker 2 And it's perfect because we don't drink champagne, so we're going to keep the bottle forever.
Speaker 2
It's the thought that counts. It is.
It's great. Our next story comes from relationship advice.
Speaker 2
This is a 32-year-old man. My best friend asked if I would be her, a 30-year-old woman, if I would be her sperm donor for her surrogate.
And I am in love with her, but she has no idea. Oh!
Speaker 2 Oh!
Speaker 2 Oh!
Speaker 2 Oh, you okay? I got the chosen. Like, I felt like my boobs were going to get off and run away for some reason.
Speaker 2 Like, I was like, whoa,
Speaker 2 like, that was a really panicking, crazy thing. Okay.
Speaker 2
Sorry. Don't run away.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2 So, for a bit of background, we met in college and have been best friends since then. We hooked up once years ago.
Speaker 2 It was a drunken exchange, and I honestly chalked it up to we were both drunk and in the right place.
Speaker 2 She got ovarian cancer that was stage three a few years back and survived and has been in remission. However, she had to have a complete hysterectomy.
Speaker 2 She had mentioned a year ago she was considering surrogacy. She had told me she planned to use a donor as she has been single for a while.
Speaker 2 Thing is, I am in love with her and I have been for years, but she has no idea.
Speaker 2 I know at one point she had feelings for me, but I was seeing someone then and out of respect for my girlfriend at the time, she never acted on it.
Speaker 2 I feel like before I give her an answer which will be yes, I should tell her how I feel. I want to make her dream of motherhood come true and I am honestly touched she thinks so highly of me.
Speaker 2 She wants me to be the father. Regardless of how she feels, I will still donate and if she doesn't still feel the same way, I will love her as my best friend.
Speaker 2
Guess I am trying to find the best way to ask her and came to Reddit for advice. So how should I handle this? Whoa.
Oh my god, I love that she's single right now. That's crazy.
Speaker 2
I also, it's like, she totally, like, sorry, it's not spoiling because this is just what I think. She totally loves him.
Right? That's what I'm like, totally loves him.
Speaker 2 This reminds me of of like the subreddit where dudes miss like
Speaker 2
the signals. Yeah.
Where it's like, she's literally being like, hey, will you have my baby? And he's just like, I don't know what she's.
Speaker 2
I don't know what she's into me. She's like, every single part of me.
I don't have my baby.
Speaker 2 I give you birth to my child, mister.
Speaker 2 She's like, every single part of you, like you physically, you emotionally, everything about you I want to have in a child.
Speaker 2 She doesn't know I'm in love with her.
Speaker 2 She wants to, yeah. Like, what the fuck?
Speaker 2
Some comments. This sounds like an old Jennifer Anniston film plot.
I'm pretty sure this is a movie with, I think it's Jason Bateman and Jennifer Anniston.
Speaker 2 Someone said, OP, put your feelings aside for a sec and think about the choice this woman is making.
Speaker 2 She's presumably about to become a parent, and naturally there are many angles to this life choice that she's considered, except there's one angle she hasn't considered. You're in love with her.
Speaker 2 You're doing her a disservice by even considering not telling her that you're in love with her. It has a bearing on the situation.
Speaker 2
Bottom line is that she deserves a chance to consider all of the information surrounding her decision. That includes you, if you're part of the equation, tell her how you feel.
She deserves to know.
Speaker 2 That's so true. Like, I mean, I've always felt that way.
Speaker 2 It sounds like he truly values her as a friend, which is different than what other stories where we've heard where a guy finds out that the girl doesn't like him back and he's like, well, I don't want anything to do with you because, and, or there's friends who have held on to their feelings for their friend that's a girl for so so long or gender like changed up or whatever, but like it can come across dishonest that you've been being my friend for so long, but you've been secretly in love with me.
Speaker 2
And like. Yeah.
I think there's a lot of complications. Like
Speaker 2 it's a good thing that he's in love with her because if he was just like a friend, her, then him being the sperm donor, it's like, all right, so we're still, I'm still going to know you and I'm going to know your kid,
Speaker 2
but like, I'm not going to take on the parent role. Like, I think that'd be strange as this kid grows up knowing like, oh, and he was the sperm donor.
He's my dad. Like,
Speaker 2 I feel like that responsibility would eventually...
Speaker 2
I don't know. I'm just thinking about that.
But
Speaker 2 we have an update. Oh,
Speaker 2
boy. Oh.
What did you say?
Speaker 2
So good. Buy it now.
Smash.com.
Speaker 2
There's just cognac in that. Update.
Oh, God. I hope he's your husband.
I hope they fuck. I hope they, oh god, I hope they fuck.
Speaker 2
I appreciate all the feedback. Most of you were nice.
There was a few idiots telling me I needed to be alpha and be more manly, but whatever.
Speaker 2
Jesus. Go take a shower.
They just commented, oh!
Speaker 2 Anyway, the consensus with my real life friends was I needed to tell her. We do brunch on Saturdays because she does yoga Sundays, so we met up this morning.
Speaker 2 I could barely eat, and she could tell something was up. She got worried thinking I was going to say no or something worse, so by the time we took a walk, both of us were nervous wrecks.
Speaker 2 I sat her down and told her everything. How I realized I was in love with her several years back, but was too much of a chicken shit to come clean.
Speaker 2 I told her that I never said anything because I did not want to jeopardize our friendship. Her face turned white and then a myriad of expressions came over her face.
Speaker 2 Then she started laughing till tears came down her face. I honestly was stunned, my stomach was in my throat, and I honestly thought that almost 12 years of friendship were down the toilet.
Speaker 2 Then she started crying, sobbing really, and she lightly hit my chest.
Speaker 2 She laughed, she half laughed and sobbed that she was in love with me too, but she thought that it would also impede the friendship we had, and she wanted nothing to screw up what we have.
Speaker 2 We hugged and I told her that there is no one on this earth I would want to have a child with but her. Oh, stop!
Speaker 2 Shut! Shut up! Shut the fuck up, Jane!
Speaker 2
This isn't fucking funny! We talked for hours. In fact, I just got home.
We have decided that we want to focus on us for now. Perfect.
I want us to be at that point that we can do it together.
Speaker 2 I know that this isn't a rom-com and that things could end up not working out for us in the end. However, I am pretty sure if there are such things as soulmates, she is mine.
Speaker 2
Thank you guys and gals for giving me the courage to tell her. They're set.
There's one comment. It's an amazing feeling coming clean to someone you've been in love with for years.
Speaker 2
Took me five years to tell my now wife. Congrats, man.
Take everything as it comes. Nothing is wrong or right from here.
One tip, communicate always, and if you are unsure of anything, ask. Oh my god.
Speaker 2 He goes, XOXO. Santa Claus.
Speaker 2
XOXO. XOXO, the ghost of Mr.
Rogers.
Speaker 2 Wow. All right.
Speaker 2 I think they're set.
Speaker 2
They're going to make it. Oh, yeah.
I'm fucking done with this one.
Speaker 2
As in, like, I'm undone. Yeah.
Yeah. She's done.
Speaker 2 I, because, like, I just, I think I have, it's a green flag when you hear someone be like, and you know, like, and it might not work out, but for now, like, this is where it's at because they're, they're trying to just appreciate the relationship.
Speaker 2 And then, like, I don't know. It's just a green flag to me.
Speaker 2 Well, and you know, people, I think sometimes with this, they think, oh, man, I wish I had said something long longer ago, but it's like, but you're probably in just the right place now. Right.
Speaker 2
Like, who you are now might work and who you were five years ago may not have worked. So maybe it's a good thing that it's happening at this point.
I'm so happy for them.
Speaker 2
Oh my god, imagine being in her position. It's like her, literally, her wildest dreams are being said out loud to her right then.
That's crazy, like crazy. That is crazy.
Speaker 2 It's so funny how they both had these feelings and didn't say anything, but it got to the point where she was like, Yeah, will you be this bird? Can we have, we can we have a kid together?
Speaker 2 Yeah, they had that decision lined up. Yeah, I was gonna say, weird way to slide in.
Speaker 2 Yeah,
Speaker 2
like, hey, like, I love your vibes. Could you be the father of my kid? No strings attached.
Yeah. It's all you from across the bar.
I really love your sperm.
Speaker 2 You just seem like a sperm I'd pay for.
Speaker 2 Okay.
Speaker 2 It makes me want to tell the breakfast story. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 I was feeling feelings for this guy and then, but we were friends and I was so worried that he was disgusted and weirded weirded out by me.
Speaker 2 Like, I was so, I was so worried that he was uncomfortable that maybe he could tell I was into him. So, I literally asked him to go to breakfast just to tell him, like, you know, we're friends, right?
Speaker 2 Like, I literally took him to breakfast to like make sure he, like, didn't think that I liked it.
Speaker 2 That was a long time ago.
Speaker 2 And I remember being like, oh, shit, does she think I like hate her? Like,
Speaker 2 what vibes am I giving off?
Speaker 2 I'm so sweet as shit.
Speaker 2
It was very funny. Yeah, no, I was so afraid.
Like, I was so afraid of losing a friend that I was like,
Speaker 2 you're like, I don't have any feelings. I just want you to know.
Speaker 2
Even though you never asked, I just want you to know. I'm not in love with just friends.
I'm not in love with you.
Speaker 2 These pancakes are great. Yeah.
Speaker 2
Anyways. These pancakes are really good for people who are not in love.
Yeah. These are like good platonic pancakes.
Speaker 2 Can I get the platonic waffle?
Speaker 2 Can I get the platonic? Can I get pancakes?
Speaker 2 Thanks, guys, for having me. Time for a sofa upgrade.
Speaker 3 Introducing Anibay sofas, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices. Every Anibay sofa is modular, allowing you to rearrange your space effortlessly.
Speaker 3 Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy.
Speaker 3 Liquids simply slide right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in feel or a supportive memory foam blend.
Speaker 3
Plus, our pet-friendly, stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price.
Visit washablefas.com to upgrade your living space today.
Speaker 3
Sofas start at just $699 with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get early access to Black Friday now.
The biggest sale of the year can save you up to 60% off.
Speaker 3
Plus, free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washablesofas.com.
Offers are are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
Speaker 2
Time. It's always vanishing.
The commute, the errands, the work functions, the meetings, selling your car.
Speaker 2
Unless you sell your car with Carvana. Get a real offer in minutes.
Get it picked up from your door. Get paid on the spot.
So fast you'll wonder what it catches. There isn't one.
Speaker 2
We just respect you and your time. Oh, you're still here.
Move along now. Enjoy your day.
Speaker 2
Sell your car today. Carvana.
Pickup fees may apply.
Speaker 4 It's never too early for Lowe's Black Friday deals. Snag some of our biggest savings of the season right now, like 25% off select pre-lit artificial Christmas trees.
Speaker 4 And get yourself free select Dewalt, Cobalt, or Craftsman tools when you buy a select battery or combo kit before the Black Friday rush. Because everyone loves free stuff, right?
Speaker 2 Lowe's, we help.
Speaker 4
You save. Valet through 12-3 while supplies last.
Selection varies by location.
Speaker 2 Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2 Okay, next story. This comes from Today I Fucked Up.
Speaker 2 Today I fucked up by freaking out my girlfriend's coworkers by taking her out to lunch.
Speaker 2 Last Friday, I had the day off work and decided to surprise my girlfriend at her job by stopping in to take her out to lunch as her shift was about done.
Speaker 2 She works at a very large and popular wholesale store that has hot dogs. She told me beforehand that I could come see her at work anytime and there would be no trouble.
Speaker 2
I walked in the front door and walked past the card checker girl. She did a double take and asked if I work there.
I replied, no, I do not. I am here to see an employee.
Speaker 2 However, I'm looking for blank in blank. She sheepishly got her radio and said, management to front entrance, non-emergency.
Speaker 2 A manager with the largest tablet I've ever seen strapped to her arm walked up and I explained again why I was there. She called for my girlfriend on the radio, but she was not near her radio.
Speaker 2
I apparently kicked the hornet's nest and I could hear chatter on the other employees' radios. Who's that guy here to see blank? Are we being audited? He looks important.
Guys, look busy.
Speaker 2 I caught glances from just about every worker nearby and I could feel them trying to figure me out.
Speaker 2 It was at this time my girlfriend got back to her radio and heard the commotion and stepped out of her office and made eye contact with me. She wrapped up her work and we went out to lunch finally.
Speaker 2 I asked her why there was such a ruckus. She said that I dress nicely and I'm very polite, which are characteristics of a corporate rep who comes in to fire people.
Speaker 2 That's when she also admitted to me that I sometimes have
Speaker 2
an asshole resting face. I guess I need to smile more.
What?
Speaker 2
So funny. So he came in to see her.
Everyone thought he was a rep. Yeah.
He was going to fire someone. That's crazy.
That's wild.
Speaker 2
They should have kept that going. Like, yeah, he was like, yeah, like, yeah, you, you, you, then he could show up and pull her out anytime.
That's so funny. Oh, my God.
Speaker 2 They blew it.
Speaker 2
Okay, let's talk real shit here. Where do you think she works? When she's in the city, it's Costco.
It's a freaking Costco. It's Costco,
Speaker 2 a wholesale store with hot dogs. He basically said it.
Speaker 2
Yeah, cool. I thought Costco too.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 It's either that or Sam's Club, I guess.
Speaker 2
That whole time I was thinking of hot dog brands. If I were to Costco, I'd eat so many hot dogs.
It'd be a problem. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2
It would be a problem, sincerely. It would be a problem for somebody else, not for me.
Whoa. I'm going to have a million hot dogs and I'm going to like it.
And your system's going to be okay with it.
Speaker 2 Did you just ask for a million hot dogs?
Speaker 2
Yeah, I did. That is crazy.
Like,
Speaker 2 what's stopping anyone from getting like an IRS jacket and being like.
Speaker 2 Well, I think that's probably under the same field as impersonating an officer, which is copy.
Speaker 2
Fun little acting exercise, though. Put a suit on, go into a store and be looking at everybody really intensely and see what they do.
It'd be fun to wear one of those types of jackets here. Oh.
Speaker 2 And be like.
Speaker 2 Well, we would know. It's you.
Speaker 2 It's you.
Speaker 2 Well, you'd like let me enjoy it for a second.
Speaker 2
Like the wife who lets her husband enjoy streaming. You'd give it to me for like 10 minutes.
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 I would be like,
Speaker 2 I'm an IRS agent that wears Adidas.
Speaker 2 Yeah, my jeans are vintage, so what?
Speaker 2 Part of the outfit. It's what we do.
Speaker 2 I told a story about how I,
Speaker 2
when I was in high school, I lied to my dad that if you wear red to Target, you get a discount. Oh, my God.
And he believed me. He loves a good deal.
So we took me to Target.
Speaker 2 And then we get to the register when they found out that it doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 And I was like, that's fucking
Speaker 2 awesome.
Speaker 2 That is such a good prank.
Speaker 2
Did he get asked if he works there? I don't remember. I don't think so.
It would be a funny video if we all wear red polos and go to a Target.
Speaker 2
And whoever gets asked if they work there the most most wins. Wins.
Oh yeah. I would win that.
All right. Comments.
Bring a clipboard next time. Don't even put anything on it.
Just a clipboard.
Speaker 2 Someone said, I had a job as an assistant once where I had a clipboard with space inside to keep forms that I needed quick access to.
Speaker 2 I also would keep a couple blank pieces of paper on the front and sketch when I was waiting.
Speaker 2 After a couple days, I got told that I was freaking people out because I would stand around concentrating on my clipboard and appearing to rapidly write stuff down.
Speaker 2 Someone said, people sometimes have a look like they belong there. A long time ago, I used to be a nightclub doorman, check IDs, make sure people pay, hold the guest list, etc.
Speaker 2 Years later, I was just standing in front of a bar waiting for some friends with my arms folded, and people just started showing me their IDs. I've seen that happen.
Speaker 2 Lastly, someone said she works at a big box wholesale store that sells $1.50 hot dogs, chicken bakes, $5 chickens, and refuses to bring back the Supreme Pizza. We may never know where she works.
Speaker 2 Chicken bake. Where do you think that is?
Speaker 2 How do you guys feel about it? Because it's hard for me to relate to this, but surprising your significant other at work.
Speaker 2 Honestly, I think it's really hot. Whoa.
Speaker 2 Which is why I decided to show up to work today.
Speaker 2 Every day. No.
Speaker 2 It's like, it's so exciting.
Speaker 2
I have this weird thing. I love a familiar face.
So when I come into work every day, I'm just in a good mood.
Speaker 2 I'm like, ah, like all these people that I know, or when you're somewhere and you bump into somebody, I'm always so excited to see a familiar face.
Speaker 2 So if you're at school and your dad comes in to pick you up early, I'm like, yay! Or like, and just so cute. I'm the complete opposite.
Speaker 2 I'm the complete opposite.
Speaker 2
That gave me anxiety. Like, dad shouldn't be at school.
I don't like surprises and I don't like, yeah, when my mom was here for this, let's, that, let's do this episode. Oh, yeah.
I couldn't breathe.
Speaker 2 I was like, why is she here? Get her out.
Speaker 2
I definitely get anxiety because it's just like, it's like, like, whoa, the situation is so crazy. But I wouldn't say I hate it.
It's like I'm in between. No, yeah.
Speaker 2 Surprising your significant other at lunch hour is different because it's like, let me, let's go away together or like, hi, here's a little treat. But like just showing up at your work,
Speaker 2
I don't like that. Well, I like it for showing up to pick you up.
I think that's cute. That's cute.
I also think it depends on the job.
Speaker 2
She works at Costco, which is a job where you're having customers. So you're having people come in.
So it's easy for him to just come by and just like say hi.
Speaker 2 Whereas like, obviously, if you're a significant other is like a doctor like yeah you can't just yeah like hey I shot my foot so I could come see
Speaker 2 or you're like through the surgery room and you're like yeah like don't come don't come to just like hang out like I know that like if I was when I was in high school if someone came to like come chat with me while I was working at the play place I worked at I would have probably thought that was really awesome but like
Speaker 2
Really, we're working. But if you could showing up to pick me up and get me out of there, that is so exciting.
That's cool. Yeah, that is fun.
Speaker 2 But it makes sense, like, what you're saying when your worlds kind of collide in a way you weren't prepared for.
Speaker 2 Or like and that day happened to be a busy day or there's something going on and you're like, I can't, I can't
Speaker 2
multitask. Right.
How is it ever a bad day at Costco? That's true. It's true.
Speaker 2 Moving on. This next story comes from Am I the Asshole? Would I be the asshole for giving my old cello to a fellow student in need and not my niece-in-law? This is a 36-year-old man.
Speaker 2 I've been learning the cello for eight years and have been attending the same music school since starting.
Speaker 2 I started learning late in life because I grew up in a poor family that couldn't afford things like instruments and music lessons.
Speaker 2 I met Chloe while we were both waiting to go into our lessons a few years back.
Speaker 2 We speak often about stuff on the regular because our lessons have always fallen into the same time slot and we're both in the orchestra, etc.
Speaker 2 She's about 13, very polite and eager to learn and treats her very cheap rubbish instrument that her parents got for her from an online store like gold.
Speaker 2 I know her parents, they're lovely people, it's all they can afford. I'm not shaming them, but if you know anything about instruments, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 It's also only half size and far too small for her, but there's not a single scratch on it and she practices every spare minute.
Speaker 2 I've recently upgraded to a performer instrument, and a trade-in on my $9,000 cello would have gotten me only $4,000 back, so I decided to keep it and sell it myself.
Speaker 2 I'm pretty well off now, but I know what it's like to be where Chloe is, so I've taken pity.
Speaker 2 I usually gift her something at Christmas, like her next grade of music book, Rosin, and a gift card from the local
Speaker 2 Lutier
Speaker 2 to get a new bow and have her instrument serviced.
Speaker 2 But having not had time to list my old cello for sale or even know where to, my good deed strings got plucked at thinking that my old instrument would likely mean the world to someone like Chloe, whose parents
Speaker 2 will likely never afford a decent instrument for her.
Speaker 2 But Stupid Me mentioned this idea to my sister-in-law, Gail, who has a daughter, a 14-year-old girl, we'll call her Alice, and she told me that Alice wants to learn the cello and insisted that I give the instrument to her daughter instead, as it's too valuable to give to a stranger's kid.
Speaker 2 Alice is her own little dude, and we get along quite well, but she has never mentioned wanting to learn an instrument to me until she watched Wednesday, and now it's cool all of a sudden.
Speaker 2 Alice hasn't stuck with anything for long. She follows fads and jumps from one thing to another and is, for lack of a better word, spoiled.
Speaker 2 Based on her track record, handing her anything other than a student cello as her first instrument would be a waste as I'm unable to convince myself that she would even practice, let alone reach a point that would call for this level of instrument.
Speaker 2 Where Chloe is at a point where yes, this instrument is slightly too big for her right now, but she needs it.
Speaker 2 Call me what you'd like for this part, but I'd feel happier about giving it away to someone that needs it like Chloe rather than someone that just wants it but is connected to me, you know?
Speaker 2 But that has me worried that I might be seen as an a-hole on this decision. Family first?
Speaker 2 The music school is putting on Christmas carols tonight, and I intend to gift the cello to Chloe at the end, but I'm still conflicted about it. Aww.
Speaker 2
I don't think he's the asshole at all. I think that's totally...
No, I mean, it's his to give to whoever he wishes. It's a gift.
Speaker 2 It's not even like the aunt is like, or the person is like, I will buy it from you.
Speaker 2 Yeah.
Speaker 2 I also, I mean, you know this about me. Like, whenever I pick up a hobby or something, I...
Speaker 2 I very much am like, oh, well, I'm not going to buy like the expensive thing right off the bat.
Speaker 2
I need to like earn that or I need to like prove to myself that I'm committed to this to then buy the nicer thing. Yeah.
Otherwise, I'm like, well,
Speaker 2
it helps motivate me to be like, okay, like I will earn that. You know, it's like.
Several times throughout my life, I was like, oh, I'm going to learn guitar.
Speaker 2
And I would buy like the cheapest guitar I could. And I'm like, okay, if I really commit to this, I'm going to buy a nice guitar.
And I never committed to it long enough.
Speaker 2
So I was like, I saved that money. Yeah, exactly.
I'm responsible. I'm like, yeah, this kid, Chloe, has been wanting and learning for a long time.
So
Speaker 2 I think it's really sweet. And I think a child totally would appreciate it way more than.
Speaker 2
You know it's going to go to good use. Yeah, yeah.
Also when you're like
Speaker 2 something about like an old like an older person or a better musician giving you their instrument as a younger musician is huge.
Speaker 2 Like I remember I was like, I always got my brother's hand-me-down guitars and my uncle gave me his, one of his guitars like randomly once. And he was like, you do better with it.
Speaker 2
And it was, for some reason, it was like him seeing me as a musician. And that did more to me than even giving me the guitar.
It was just like, wow, you see me enough to give me this.
Speaker 2
And it was just, it was huge for me. Yeah.
Yeah. Totally see that.
And a cello is a very unique instrument that I doubt
Speaker 2 many people would like commit to. Like from what it sounds like with his niece, it's like she doesn't know it at all.
Speaker 2 It's very likely she wouldn't want to like, that's an instrument you do need lessons. You need to
Speaker 2 need to like commit to yeah so he knows it's gonna go to good use with Chloe who it sounds like he's a bit of a mentor to yeah so it's not just some stranger the verdict was not the asshole comments not the asshole you want that cello to be used played and loved and Chloe will do that I ended up giving my daughter's old harp to a little girl who was learning sure I could have sold it but I'd rather someone use it who wouldn't get the chance to otherwise Lastly, someone said not the asshole.
Speaker 2 It's yours and you can do with it as you wish. If you're well off and a student cello is within your Christmas budget, give Alice an instrument appropriate for her.
Speaker 2 Your sister-in-law is the only asshole here. But next time, keep your mouth shut about these things and you'll avoid the problem entirely.
Speaker 2 Update. Oh, yay! Yay!
Speaker 2 Wow, so many comments. Thank you to everyone that took the time to help me steady my nerves on this one and point me in what I felt was the right decision from the start, but second-guessing myself.
Speaker 2 I've just gotten home from the Carols.
Speaker 2 Some people mentioned asking Chloe's parents for permission to gift her the cello, and I'm glad this was mentioned because it was something that I hadn't considered and it led to what I feel was the perfect outcome.
Speaker 2 Everyone had settled after the students had finished the show and parents and volunteers brought cakes etc. to share and everyone was standing around chatting.
Speaker 2 Chloe ran off to join the line to get her bag of lollies and goodies and it gave me a moment to approach her folks without having to mention my intention in front of Chloe before knowing how it would be received by them.
Speaker 2
I was nervous as hell, but opened up with my usual compliments on Chloe's playing. She played What Child Is This in a quartet and it was perfect.
perfect.
Speaker 2 And I made a light-hearted joke about her growing too quickly and dwarfing her cello now.
Speaker 2 Her parents laughed but went on to mention how they'd been saving to buy her a bigger one and that they didn't want to go cheap this time like they had with her first couple of cellos, having learned a lot very quickly about quality.
Speaker 2 When they'd taken Chloe to the Lutier with the intention of getting her one for Christmas, they'd been disappointed to find out that they hadn't saved enough for the quality that Chloe needed and that they'd been devastated despite Chloe understanding and taking the revelation quite well.
Speaker 2 Figuring that a new cello was kind of something they'd worked hard on getting for Chloe, I decided to try and get them in on the idea and ask them how much they'd saved and would they be interested in buying my old one as I had a new one now and had no need for it.
Speaker 2 I didn't notice that Chloe had approached back from the line and she piped up with a low tone that they hadn't even saved enough for the student quality instruments, let alone mine.
Speaker 2 She has a good idea of how much instruments are worth.
Speaker 2 I stumbled on my words a little, but I went on to insist on knowing how much they'd saved, and her mother told me that they'd saved around $1,600.
Speaker 2 I told them that that sounded like a good enough offer to me, and that I'd be happy to know that it was being played and cherished by someone like Chloe that would take good care of it, and I held out my hand to shake on the deal.
Speaker 2 No one answered for what I felt like an hour to me.
Speaker 2 Chloe's father finally responded and told me that they couldn't accept it as Chloe had pointed out an instrument of equal value to mine to them while they were in the shop, and he didn't feel it was right to take it for anything but a fair value, and that they couldn't afford to do that.
Speaker 2 I'll admit that I felt a little bit annoyed by his initial good-mannered refusal, but I understood it as I was raised by similar-minded parents with the same values, but I told her parents that it was an offer that I felt that they really couldn't pass up as it was something that
Speaker 2 I felt Chloe had earned and needed desperately. And that even if they didn't accept my offer, I was going to give it to Chloe anyway.
Speaker 2 And I turned and placed the hard case in front of the shocked and dead silent Chloe and walked away.
Speaker 2 Chloe's father approached me while we were helping pack up the entertainment hall and he gave me a hug and thanked me, promising to drop off the money at my shop in the morning and offering to help me out if I ever needed anything.
Speaker 2 For a stubborn bloke like that to be as red and teary as
Speaker 2 he was makes me sure that I did the right thing in making him accept the cello like I did.
Speaker 2 Chloe was visibly quite emotional but trying not to show it, but she broke down after mouthing thank you to me as everyone was leaving and I found it extremely hard to keep my composure and could only manage a smile and a thumbs up in return.
Speaker 2 I I think I'm going to be riding this high for a good while.
Speaker 2 The best thing is I can tell Gail that I sold it
Speaker 2 without having to lie and I can toss up the idea of using the money Chloe's dad pays me for the cello to buy a reasonable secondhand learner's instrument for Alice.
Speaker 2
Again, thank you for responses and advice. What a guy.
What a guy. I love that he went up to the parents to make sure it was okay and like organically brought it up.
Speaker 2 Doing it through the parents is smart on so many levels. Yes.
Speaker 2 just because it's like i understand they have a great relationship and the parents know him but like he is a 36 year old man this is a 13 year old girl it's like it's great to like go through the parents and be like hey like um it's also helping out the parents by making it the parents feel like they're doing it a little bit exactly you don't want to make them feel bad exactly so accepting that offer like that was like making it a deal i thought that was really awesome yeah
Speaker 2 a couple comments i wish i could give you reddit gold wholesome af story uh someone else said i'm late to the party but op you're a legend i'm a violinist and play in a quartet with a few co-workers these days i know a gift like that as a young teen is an absolute miracle for a dedicated string player her cello will fit right so her posture will be better her tone will be beautiful i'm so excited for her to grow with her new cello and for you to get to watch yeah
Speaker 2 That's really sweet. I also like,
Speaker 2
there's almost like a magic to when you're given something that's been played a lot by somebody else. I totally believe it.
Yeah, it's like, what has
Speaker 2 broken in? Yeah.
Speaker 2
And you're just like, wow, what has this instrument like done so large? Truly. It feels like a brand new one.
It's almost like, all right, we're breaking it in. It's like pressure.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 I have my grandma's disgusting piano and I love it so much.
Speaker 2
This is my grandma's piece of shit, gross skin. It's literally covered in dust and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
That's really cute. Next story comes from True Off My Chest.
Speaker 2 My girlfriend, a 27-year-old woman, did the sweetest thing for my brother, who's nine, and now I know she's she's the one.
Speaker 2 My parents moved him to another school towards the end of the school year, and he had trouble making friends.
Speaker 2 He still invited his whole class to his birthday party, that was on Friday, but nobody came. None of the kids.
Speaker 2 It was really heartbreaking seeing all the empty tables when he was really looking forward to it. My girlfriend of four years decided to call her brothers asking them to come over.
Speaker 2
Then she took off to go pick up her nephews. They're a little older, but they were still really nice to my brother.
brother. She called up her friends with kids.
Speaker 2
It wasn't a ton of people, but it was way more than before. All thanks to her.
My little brother was so happy playing in the jumper with her new nephews and brothers.
Speaker 2 They were all play wrestling with him. He had such a good time.
Speaker 2 It was nice that everyone came and was being so nice to him, but I'm also just super grateful to my girlfriend because she made it happen.
Speaker 2
I was watching her that whole time, going, wow, I want to marry this woman. She's the one for me.
Now I'm literally browsing online for engagement rings. Whoa,
Speaker 2
whoa. Damn.
Whoa.
Speaker 2 Whoa.
Speaker 2 I need to lock it down now. He's like, Google search engagement ring.
Speaker 2 Engage.
Speaker 2
God, this is sweet. What a kind heart for her to like feel compelled to do that.
Like, that's
Speaker 2
really sweet. I've heard so many stories about kids having like no one show up to their birthday.
Okay. So sad.
Can we give them a hotline to us? Yeah.
Speaker 2
I would kill. Do you think they would get our jokes? No, but I and I think we'd be intimidating at a bouncy house.
I think you would. Amanda, I'd be like,
Speaker 2
remember we talked about how if you were to to be a student teacher or like a teacher for kids? Yeah. And you were like, okay, both.
Yeah, it'd be too much.
Speaker 2 All right, I know none of your friends showed up. I know none of your friends showed up to your birthday, but we have a millennial improv true.
Speaker 2 The kids like, I want to go home. And get this, they're all wearing graphic tees.
Speaker 2 And flannels.
Speaker 2
I know you wanted Batman here, but. I feel like you'd be a blast.
Chance is good at those two. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2
I feel like us as a a big group would be crazy. Like if your kid couldn't, a kid didn't have any friends and we were just like, okay, let's just be kids.
Let's be kids. Oh.
Speaker 2
That's so cute. That's really good.
No, I like, I think that's really sweet.
Speaker 2 And to be at a new school, I've seen it before where it's like they just kind of will hand out the invitations to everyone in the class.
Speaker 2 And then it's just like, whoever comes, maybe that'll be a new friend. And, oh.
Speaker 2 Just oh. It's also crazy that like when you're a kid, even when I was a kid too, it was like, who comes to your birthday party is like, like, like everything.
Speaker 2
Like, why is that a thing? I don't know. I could never go to birthday parties because they were always on Sundays.
And my family was super Mormon back then.
Speaker 2
I think if I have a kid, I'm going to be like nervously making sure I get RSVPs. Yeah.
Being like, are you coming? I just want to make sure I have bodies in the space.
Speaker 2
Bodies in the space. You know what I mean? Like a good party.
Let the bodies have the space. Let the bodies have the space.
I have some bodies in the space.
Speaker 2
Some comments here. Your little brother was playing with his future family.
I love this. Gave me all the feels.
I wish you the best life ever.
Speaker 2 Someone said, as someone who recently had his five-year-old not have anyone show up to his birthday party and saw him get crushed, like everyone flaked out, yeah, she not just pulled off something amazing, but may have made a life-changing difference.
Speaker 2 Now, how are you going to learn what her ring size is, brother?
Speaker 2
Someone said, Keep her close. Like my friends told me when they met my girlfriend, now wife of 27 years.
Don't fuck it up. She's a good one.
Yeah, dude. Okay, go with me.
Speaker 2 A service in which you can, like an Uber,
Speaker 2 but for parties. Like you love a party? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 Yeah. And you're like, I need people,
Speaker 2
my kids' party. So it's kind of like how clubs.
Yes. It's kind of like how clubs will pay Kim Kardashian to go to their party.
Yeah, like club promoters for kids' birthday parties.
Speaker 2
You pay us to go to five-year-olds' birthday parties. Yes.
Oh, my God. And we just hang out.
Speaker 2 We're literally those services where it's a van, they bring a bunch of dogs or puppies for you to go to, but it's us. But we roll out and we just kind of tumble out and roll around.
Speaker 2
And then you get a good hour and then you're over it. Yeah.
Yeah. And we eat all your cake and then we're done.
That's how you get paid. And then we all start to get in a bad mood.
Like
Speaker 2
puppies fighting. When puppies are like, okay, this is enough.
This is enough. Yeah.
Speaker 2 I love that.
Speaker 2
No, that's really, really sweet. And it is a pivotal moment because that could have been, that could have been a day that he remembers very differently.
Now it's a fun memory.
Speaker 2 And so, and it just sounds, it's just green flags all around where she felt compelled and actually took action and that her family and her friends showed up for her. Yeah, it's all good.
Speaker 2
It's all good. Bringing him this positive memory, like, that's such a special, special thing.
That's such a good point. Sorry.
Yeah, and just bounce houses are freaking lit. Oh, yeah.
Moon bounce.
Speaker 2
Come on now. A slide? I got to be honest, though.
Part of me, the idea of a moon bounce all to myself
Speaker 2
sounds pretty cool. I probably would have still had a blast.
When I was in seventh grade, I had a moon bounce, and I love moon bounces.
Speaker 2 David trying to jump up and grab the top part and try to bring down the whole thing.
Speaker 2 You know, it has like the pillar of the air. Grab it down, grab it down the whole thing.
Speaker 2 And then it's like,
Speaker 2 ah! Can we do a video where we get a moon bounce? Yes! Yes! Yes! And
Speaker 2
one will definitely fit in the area out there. Yes.
Okay. And if you like moon bounces, you're going to like this final story.
Let's go, moon bounce story.
Speaker 2
All right. Here's our last story.
This one's an old one. This is from 13 years ago.
Whoa. A different time.
Okay. 2011.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 Why'd you end that?
Speaker 2
Stop that. End that.
End that. End that.
Speaker 2 This came from Ask Reddit back in 2011.
Speaker 2 And it's our last story. Any chance there's anyone out there who could help save my wedding?
Speaker 2 So, getting married in Tampa in three weeks, we had booked a big mansion for the wedding with the idea of having the ceremony and reception there.
Speaker 2 That way, anyone who wanted to stay over could crash on the floor or whatever. The property owner emailed me today talking about a lawsuit and a code enforcement.
Speaker 2
Long story short, his email was only three lines. We lost the venue.
I don't know what I'm going to do about him, but for now, I am trying to find somewhere to have the ceremony.
Speaker 2 Problem is that June is a fairly popular time for weddings, so almost every venue is booked.
Speaker 2 Another issue is that since this was going to be a private residence, we have already bought about $1,500 in liquor, and most wedding places won't let you bring and serve your own.
Speaker 2
So my fiancé is freaking out. Trying to calm her down has actually had an overwhelming calming effect on me.
And we don't have anywhere for the ceremony and reception anymore.
Speaker 2
We can't change the date without fucking over a bunch of friends and family who have already bought plane tickets. And there is the honeymoon too.
Can't reschedule that with work.
Speaker 2 The caterers, wedding cake, DJ, and bartenders are all flexible as far as changing the venue and so and so is the officiant, my brother.
Speaker 2 This is her hopefully only wedding and I have an understandable desire to make everything perfect. I feel like I am failing miserably at the moment.
Speaker 2 Does anyone know of a good venue that is somewhat unique and interesting that would be available June 11th that meets the requirements above?
Speaker 2 TLDR, can I have my wedding at your house? We will clean up after ourselves.
Speaker 2 The comments were mostly uh were mostly listing a bunch of florida locations they could get married at colleges parks etc
Speaker 2 uh what would you suggest they do in this situation well
Speaker 2 we were just talking about moon bounces just get a moon bounce just go to sky high those like trampoline places that actually could be cool no but you do the ceremony while you're bouncing well i guess it's it's tough with parks and stuff if you have alcohol and things like that um i think i would just look for another house, right?
Speaker 2 Yeah, like
Speaker 2 Verbo is really great for specifically if you wanna,
Speaker 2 that's what we did our wedding celebration at.
Speaker 2
It's like you just, you're able to like rent a place for a couple nights and it's like, yeah, you can have a wedding here because Airbnb is not, they don't really do that. No, this is 2011.
Truly.
Speaker 2 This is before
Speaker 2
Airbnb and everything. So at this time, this is crazy.
Yeah, because they're posting on Reddit. Yeah, and honestly, I don't know where else you would post at that time.
2011?
Speaker 2
You got to get out the yellow pages. Facebook.
Yeah. Got to pull out your pager.
Yeah.
Speaker 2
Got to get on Neopets. You got to get on Neopets looking for a wedding location.
Oh, shit. Yeah.
Speaker 2
Got to go to Club Penguin. Yeah, get your Club Penguins.
Maybe they can have their wedding in the Club Penguin Pizza Parlor. Dude.
Have it in RuneScape.
Speaker 2 Update.
Speaker 2
Let's go. Let's go.
Awesome. I can't even say it went okay as a joke.
It was epic. We took the have it in a field idea and really ran with it.
Speaker 2
After three solid weeks of work cleaning and prepping, my wife's uncle's farm was ready for action. It is a big property and he has horses, cows, pigs, and goats.
Oh, well,
Speaker 2 dude, you had this all along? Yeah, what the hell? We cleared out a cow pasture for parking and set up a tent by the stables. The stables were filled with his best horses.
Speaker 2
Pasafinos, for those who care. Okay.
One of the good horse.
Speaker 2
We have record that it's a good horse. And one of the stalls had some week and a half old puppies that were just born.
What the fuck? Okay.
Speaker 2 We moved the wedding from six to seven, and the weather was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky, and the breeze started up about 30 minutes before the ceremony.
Speaker 2 Since we didn't have to drop any money on the venue, I got it all back from the rich doctor who canceled on us. We were able to have other stuff.
Speaker 2 Some of the highlights of the evening included amazing food and a shitload of liquor, which makes everything better, a roasted pig that was killed the day prior and marinated overnight,
Speaker 2 two bounce houses. Holy shit, that was the best idea ever.
Speaker 2 Carrot wedding cake, a big ass fire, or big ass fire for XKCD fans, complete with s'mores,
Speaker 2 mini petting zoo with the goats, two big air conditioners for the tent, more shit I am sure I am forgetting.
Speaker 2 Even without all that stuff, it would have been the best night of my life committing to someone I love so much. But it was great to be able to come through and pull off something so wonderful.
Speaker 2
Thanks again for all the help and support, Reddit. You guys are the best.
Wow.
Speaker 2
Not just one, but two bouncy houses. Two bounce houses.
Holy shit.
Speaker 2 Do you think they jumped up and grabbed the top part of it and pulled it out?
Speaker 2
Pulled it down. Pulled it down.
And so does you get to climb onto the top part. And then if you're light enough, if you're light enough, it'll take you back up there.
And then you fall down.
Speaker 2 I did at this.
Speaker 2
You got to get a bounce house. Oh, my gosh.
There's like puppies and goats. Yeah, it was worse than funny.
Puppies in the bounce house.
Speaker 2 That was what he had access to that thing the whole time. A big fire that relates to an online webcomic.
Speaker 2
Got everything. You have it all.
You got everything. And puppies.
And puppies.
Speaker 2 The comments, I'm laughing my ass off because it looked like you had way too much fun in every pick. I know how I want my wedding to be now.
Speaker 2
OP said, if there is such a thing as too much fun, then yeah, I had it. Someone else said, glad it all worked out well for you guys.
Wish I'd seen the original post and could have commented.
Speaker 2
One of the best wedding receptions I've ever been to was in a field with a tent. For food, there was a massive crawfish boil.
A live band played from a stage that was basically a large flat trailer.
Speaker 2 Lots of kegs were drank, mass amounts of liquor was consumed, and plenty of other party favors that you would smoke outdoors were around. Bouncy houses are genius.
Speaker 2 Lastly, someone said, having randomly attended this wedding, I can say with authority it was indeed fucking awesome. What?
Speaker 2 Knowing
Speaker 2 that, hey, I'm one of the puppies.
Speaker 2 Knowing nothing about the event before, it took me a second to put the narrative together, but once I saw a car with the Reddit alien and this in the trunk, I knew it was going to be a good time hope you're enjoying a celebratory whiskey cheers commenter is the boyfriend of OP's wife's cousin oh funny okay
Speaker 2 wow parties are out fields are in fields are in fields are in guys fields are in and if you ever want us to come to your wedding we'll pile in a van we'll go we'll roll around and then leave yeah we'll roll around we don't say anything we just roll around if you do have a bounce house we'll go in there yeah we'll break it down get on top of it
Speaker 2 we'll try to collapse it with our bodies. And sling it back up.
Speaker 2 Sometimes you could put like a ball in there, and then in the top, you bring it at the top post down, put a ball in there, let it fly up, and the ball goes wherever, and then you try to catch it.
Speaker 2 Could you imagine? Yeah, we invited some YouTubers and they completely took out our bouncy.
Speaker 2 I feel like you're only here for the zipline.
Speaker 2
I feel like you're only here for the moon bounce. Yeah.
Yes, I am. I am.
Speaker 2 What was your favorite story? Wow.
Speaker 2
Okay, I honestly, I personally love the girlfriend bringing her nephews and friends' kids to that boy's house. That was very sweet.
And the cello one. Oh, there are so many good ones.
Speaker 2
I mean, the purring really got me. Yeah, like, it's, yeah.
Oh, my God. And the little sounds.
Yeah.
Speaker 2
There's good people out there. Yeah.
There really are. There's good vibes.
They do exist.
Speaker 2 They may be small. And the baby ones.
Speaker 2 There are so many bad vibes but there are good vibes there are vibes out there yeah wow thank you both for for chilling with me thanks for telling us sweet stories thank you for having us do they ever let you out of here no
Speaker 2 do you think okay so if we get a move out so put it in the cafeteria area the dining area big big big guy yeah gotta get one that has posts like they're like beams but it's air in them going across so that you can grab it and pull it down and it still doesn't it doesn't break it.
Speaker 2
It doesn't break it because it doesn't. It doesn't break it.
It doesn't break it.
Speaker 2
It doesn't break it. It slings back up.
And maybe we get little plastic balls, throw them in there. Fun.
See, I'm thinking the slides. My family was big on the slides.
Whoa.
Speaker 2 Let's get the whole course.
Speaker 2
Let's get the obstacle course. See, I never liked the obstacle course.
It's over so quick. I would just want to be in there trying to break it.
Speaker 2 You guys are just fucking pussies.
Speaker 2
Thank you both for being here. Thank you for watching.
Let us know what other subreddits and themes you'd like to see on this show. And spread some good vibes.
Yes.
Speaker 2 See you later. Bye.
Speaker 2 This is my wholesome symbol.