Episode 152 features the return of one of my favorite Canadians, and just one of my best friends, Chris Maier. He’s here to tackle some of Proust’s Questionnaire. And aside from catching up, we’ll discuss relationship communication, accountability, Canada, misfortune, and much much more.
Mentioned and Helpful Links from This Episode
What is the Proust Questionnaire?
Other Links
The Dying Art of the Animation Cel
Michael Caine does his best spy work as author of fast-paced Deadly Game
Special Guest Executive Producer: Bill Sweeney
Music created and provided by Henno Heitur of Monkey Tongue Productions.
–End Show Notes Transmission–
–Begin Transcription–
00:00:00:01 – 00:00:19:09
Agent Palmer
Previously on Agent palmer.com The Dying Art of the Animation Cell. Michael Caine does his best spy work as author of fast paced Deadly Game, and since last episode, it appears Steph and I are getting enough sleep to function. This is The Palmer Files episode 152. With the return of one of my favorite Canadians and just one of my best friends, Chris Maier.
00:00:19:16 – 00:01:01:39
Agent Palmer
He’s here to tackle some of Proust Questionnaire, and aside from catching up, we’ll discuss relationship communication, accountability, Canada misfortune and much, much more. Are you ready? Let’s do the show.
00:01:01:44 – 00:01:02:43
Agent Palmer
Hello, and welcome.
00:01:02:43 – 00:01:32:08
Agent Palmer
To The Palmer Files. I’m your host, Jason Stershic, also known as Agent Palmer. And on this 152nd episode is my friend and probably my Canadian sponsor, Chris Maier. Chris is back after too long, but we’re also recording after too long as well. More on that during the episode. But what is this? This is a series of episodes that will be released over the course of the next few months where my friends, specifically those from the friendship episodes, get to come on the show and ask me a select few questions from Proust’s questionnaire.
00:01:32:13 – 00:01:52:10
Agent Palmer
There are 17 questions. Chris is going first, so he gets to choose from them all, and the next time we do this, Bill won’t be able to re ask any questions already used. Then Chris Hughes, then Jason Zapata, and who knows what happens with the remainder of the questions at this time. A link to the Proust Questionnaire Wikipedia entry is in the show notes.
00:01:52:10 – 00:02:17:03
Agent Palmer
If you want a history lesson, I won’t spoil which questions Chris Maier asks, but know that we catch up and talk about change and some things that stay the same, as well as celebrations, accountability, relationships, and Canada. All of this and much more is coming your way shortly. But first, remember that if you want to discuss this episode as you listen or afterwards, you can find all related ways to contact Chris and myself in the show notes.
00:02:17:15 – 00:02:35:20
Agent Palmer
I highly suggest you listen to How Was Your Week, honey and our liner notes. Don’t forget, you can see all of my ratings and ratings on Agent palmer.com. And of course, email can be sent to the Palmer files at gmail.com. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
00:02:35:25 – 00:02:48:06
Agent Palmer
Chris, welcome back to the show. It’s been, four years now. It’s been five years since you’ve been on this show. It’s been three years since I was on your show.
00:02:48:11 – 00:02:49:43
Chris Maier
Okay.
00:02:49:48 – 00:02:58:34
Agent Palmer
And, I wish that we would talk more often, but it feels like we we play phone tag more than we talk.
00:02:58:39 – 00:03:05:50
Chris Maier
Right? And I think I think, you know, I don’t want to bury the lead, but we’ll get there, okay? Famous phrase I say on my show with my wife.
00:03:06:01 – 00:03:10:26
Agent Palmer
Well, that’s fine, because if we don’t, it just means that you have to come back.
00:03:10:29 – 00:03:10:58
Chris Maier
Agreed.
00:03:10:59 – 00:03:36:11
Agent Palmer
That’s that. That’s fine. I’m all right with that. So there there are some firsts happening here. This is, the first recording I’ve done with a guest not being my wife since the baby was born. That’s one. Okay. Number two, obviously, those those time frames for you and myself recording where we used to maybe record, but twice a month at minimum.
00:03:36:15 – 00:03:58:17
Agent Palmer
Right. And this is the first time you and I are recording with me in my basement studio, and this is perhaps the earliest we have ever recorded together in the day. Like it’s a it’s basically 11 a.m. for me. It’s 8 a.m. for you. I, we’re usually on the other. We’re usually on the PM side of everything.
00:03:58:24 – 00:04:03:41
Chris Maier
Well, that’s right, usually this mug is filled with bourbon or scotch or something instead of the coffee. Yeah.
00:04:03:46 – 00:04:11:34
Agent Palmer
So, yeah. And I mine’s always been filled with coffee. Except now mine’s full strength. Yeah. Right.
00:04:11:39 – 00:04:21:11
Chris Maier
Well, you’re still using coffee to wake you up, because I think with the recording schedule that we had, it might have been, 6 or 7 for me, but it was 9 or 10.
00:04:21:11 – 00:04:22:07
Agent Palmer
Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was.
00:04:22:08 – 00:04:23:58
Chris Maier
We were usually finishing at like, 1 a.m. for.
00:04:23:58 – 00:04:32:42
Agent Palmer
Yeah, it was but I. And look, that schedule probably would still, I could probably pull that schedule off right now.
00:04:32:47 – 00:04:44:11
Chris Maier
Yeah. I guess with the baby, your hours are different. I just don’t know. Again, because of that longer format of recording for that show we were doing, you know, I don’t know that you have three solid hours in a row, though.
00:04:44:15 – 00:04:58:31
Agent Palmer
I have, I have a, I have a, wife and partner who is, you know, behind me in all of our endeavors. So, like, I do have that time. I just have to schedule that time, you know? It’s.
00:04:58:31 – 00:04:59:06
Chris Maier
Of course.
00:04:59:06 – 00:05:02:49
Agent Palmer
Yeah. It’s not like it used to be. Where? Like, I could be a filling guest at a moment’s notice.
00:05:02:49 – 00:05:09:48
Chris Maier
Now, you know how I felt back when you and I were trying to record, and you’re like, well, why don’t you just do this random time and place?
00:05:09:55 – 00:05:13:13
Agent Palmer
No, I think I always knew, but just. Yeah, it’s.
00:05:13:22 – 00:05:13:57
Chris Maier
Now you’re living.
00:05:13:57 – 00:05:18:21
Agent Palmer
It. Yeah. Now I’m living it. Yeah, it’s definitely, a change.
00:05:18:25 – 00:05:27:36
Chris Maier
And I used to laugh all the time when you say, Well, I’m busy. Kill for other. And now you’re busy. Now I’m. Well.
00:05:27:41 – 00:05:47:46
Agent Palmer
I you know it. It’s it’s about it’s about priority. It’s a it’s a pen. That’s right. And it depends on the structure. And, you know, how we divide our, our work or divide and conquer, so to speak. And at the moment, Steph, still, by the time this airs, she’ll be back to work. But right now, as we’re recording, like she’s still.
00:05:47:51 – 00:05:51:33
Chris Maier
Like they give you Matt Lee Delmar,
00:05:51:38 – 00:06:06:21
Agent Palmer
Give is a strong word. That’s that’s, that’s. Yeah. No, no, I in fact, I just read somewhere about what the what what Canadians get for that. And I was like, oh, that’s not fair.
00:06:06:26 – 00:06:09:10
Chris Maier
Or it is fair, and I don’t know why we don’t do that.
00:06:09:10 – 00:06:34:08
Agent Palmer
Yeah, well, I know why we don’t do that. That’s a that’s a different podcast. That’s for another time. That’s a longer topic. Look, obviously life changes have happened. And obviously, longtime listeners of the show will have heard your wife, more recently than they’ve heard you, but, you know, you are still doing a weekly podcast with your wife, correct.
00:06:34:08 – 00:06:38:16
Agent Palmer
That has maintained that is crazy.
00:06:38:30 – 00:06:58:22
Chris Maier
It is that you think, until just recently, we missed a couple, but we went a solid six years, I think, with only one episode next of how was your week, honey? Podcast? We started together. We both. I had just gotten into podcasting. It was something that we were toying with and it actually took her going away to her sisters.
00:06:58:22 – 00:07:14:21
Chris Maier
I believe, for to help her out with her baby that, you know, us talking back and forth while she was gone. I’m like, you know, this is the podcast. Yeah, right. Like, this is what we’re doing right now. Her letting me know what was happening there, you know, the the day to day of the week, she was gone.
00:07:14:21 – 00:07:35:50
Chris Maier
And me doing the same here. And, we’ve just turned it into a date night and, quite frankly, a therapy session. The fact that my wife and I, without fail, you know, 99% of the time. Yeah. Meet for an hour plus every week. I mean, there’s stuff we’ve worked out that I’m sure the listeners aren’t even aware that we’re actually working things out, but.
00:07:35:52 – 00:07:55:42
Chris Maier
So. Yeah. Yeah, we’re through. That’s a better, that’s better way putting it. We’re you know, there are some stories or that we even hit a different angle of a story that we didn’t get out when we were talking. Maybe emotions were more heightened fresh. Yeah. Or there’s things that we, even stories about each other that we learn because, you know, something else has happened in our life.
00:07:55:42 – 00:08:11:43
Chris Maier
And then we get into this conversation for the podcast, and then you’re like, well, you know, I do remember this time, that dot dot dot. Yeah. And so it goes. So it’s been I mean, it’s it’s been great for our relationship. And it’s funny because when we meet other couples who find out what we’ve been doing for 425 episodes now.
00:08:11:46 – 00:08:15:44
Chris Maier
Yeah. There’s like, we could never do that. Well, we kill each other.
00:08:15:44 – 00:08:28:58
Agent Palmer
So I, they said, okay, so when Steph moved in. Yes, you guys and and a few others, we would ask, so when, when are you guys doing your podcast.
00:08:29:09 – 00:08:30:00
Chris Maier
Right.
00:08:30:05 – 00:08:54:51
Agent Palmer
And when I launched my show, which was after she moved in, people are like, well, when are you going to do the show with Steph? And so these things, these have been questions that have happened. Now she ended up being on a, an episode. We did, 50 questions. So it was just it wasn’t really conversational like we, we we did the 50 questions.
00:08:54:56 – 00:09:21:58
Agent Palmer
Then we did, a retelling of, a story we told on your show. How was your week, honey? Which was we did a two parter about us meeting and getting together and the wedding. So. Right. We had those. And then most recently, in the episodes that precede this one, we did, you and me make three and being new parents.
00:09:22:03 – 00:09:51:23
Agent Palmer
And so those were two, and I, in fact, I just recorded, or I just edited the, second one of those the on being new parents thing or two. We talked about it where we talk about bringing him home and like kind of that lack of sleep thing. And the only reason I bring it up is because, it’s it’s one of those things where I know what you’re talking about because during that episode, like, Steph and I have a great relationship.
00:09:51:23 – 00:10:19:59
Agent Palmer
But at the same time, when you sit down on mic and you’re, professional podcaster, I guess we’ll say, because we’ve done it long enough, experienced, experienced, you always give space. Now you might want to fill the silence, but you’ll always give space like you tell that story. That’s fine. And one of the things that in hindsight, like I haven’t done the intro and the outro for that, so I don’t know what it’ll be.
00:10:19:59 – 00:10:42:17
Agent Palmer
What what you heard two weeks ago. But like, having just edited it, I’m just like, wow. Like really putting a point on the friction in this house over the last few weeks has been the lack of communication due to being tired and a lack of sleep. It’s been nothing else like we can put a T on like that’s why kind of we raised voices.
00:10:42:28 – 00:10:45:39
Agent Palmer
It’s like, because I thought you I thought I told you this.
00:10:45:44 – 00:10:58:21
Chris Maier
Great, but you did not. I meant that. Oh yes. And those are the communication breakdowns that happen in every relationship. And and there’s the narrative in your head, and then there’s the narrative in their head, and then there’s what’s actually.
00:10:58:21 – 00:11:02:27
Agent Palmer
And it doesn’t have to do anything with having a baby either. Like you could just.
00:11:02:27 – 00:11:23:22
Chris Maier
Have a another input into the equation. What it is. Yeah, yeah. And Kristen has come up with this the other day and she’s like, the thing about podcasting with one another. And the other reason why it’s like therapy is it’s like the third party, the objective person in the room. Right? Because you are recording for an audience, however big or small that may be.
00:11:23:29 – 00:11:25:11
Chris Maier
So because you have that.
00:11:25:15 – 00:11:25:59
Agent Palmer
Awareness.
00:11:26:11 – 00:11:33:57
Chris Maier
Unawareness and an unnamed observer of your conversation, you take the time to go, well, this. But here’s why.
00:11:34:00 – 00:11:49:12
Agent Palmer
Yeah. And you also, yeah, you not only get into the why, but you explain it a little bit more. So in explaining it, sometimes you come to a different conclusion because normally like every couple has shorthand and and when when you get to.
00:11:49:12 – 00:11:50:46
Chris Maier
Our shorthand on our podcast.
00:11:50:46 – 00:12:14:35
Agent Palmer
And when you get into that shorthand, sometimes you miss over a very important word like had was could, should like. There are some very thank you, thank you. Welcome. Like there are some very specific words that get left out of those things. And she’s like, all right okay. And so the other thing is, listeners can’t see this obviously.
00:12:14:35 – 00:12:32:31
Agent Palmer
And you can’t see this either based on the camera angle. But to my left is, in person studio, which is how the last two episodes were recorded. We sat across a table from each other, you know, like getting it like it’s, you know, not the way they used.
00:12:32:31 – 00:12:35:02
Chris Maier
To face looking each other in the eye. Yes.
00:12:35:07 – 00:13:07:08
Agent Palmer
No monitors in the way like it used to be in my old, set up. And so, and it’s a little bit more comfortable than the last time, she was on the show, so there’s a part of it where now I’m getting. Well, I guess we we we could start our own show now, and I don’t know if we have more or less to say, I, I obviously there’s more going on in our lives than there was.
00:13:07:13 – 00:13:24:02
Agent Palmer
But I’ve listened to your show Dark Angels and Pretty Freaks even back in the day couples things. Right. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life. There’s. Oh, if if you’re in a, the general statement, if you’re in a healthy relationship, you’ll find something to talk about.
00:13:24:07 – 00:13:24:47
Chris Maier
Well, okay.
00:13:25:01 – 00:13:34:41
Agent Palmer
Or you’ll be fine with silence. But that doesn’t work on a podcast. But like, you don’t need to stretch like you can find it any topic, throw it in and go like.
00:13:34:45 – 00:13:57:51
Chris Maier
Okay, so Kristen and I will come home from work or, back from something or see something when we’re out. And the common phrase you’ll hear between us is who? Write that down. We should talk because for two reasons. One, it’s good to have a list of topics. We’ll have somewhere to go recording any kind of show. But the other thing is you get it’s just day to day for us.
00:13:57:55 – 00:14:18:40
Chris Maier
You forget like we’ve done it where we’re like, oh, this, this and this as the weeks gone on. And then you sit down to record and go, what happened this week? Yeah, great. You and I had that great story. What was it about? And to your other point, although where there’s been weeks where we haven’t had specific topics or she’s like, I’ve got two things and you’ve got nothing, no matter what.
00:14:18:40 – 00:14:35:50
Chris Maier
It seems that once we sit down to record and maybe that’s us, or maybe that’s couples in general, but as soon as we sit down, we always find our way. There’s always something to talk about. Yeah. And one story begets the next. So on and so forth. And we might talk about something as inane as our trip to the grocery store that week.
00:14:36:05 – 00:14:40:20
Chris Maier
But there’s always some sort of relationship aspect about that that we wander into.
00:14:40:22 – 00:15:18:55
Agent Palmer
But so there’s, there’s, there’s this other point to it where it’s like, I think one of those things that’s always been the cliche of like 60s and 70s and 80s sitcoms was like, Mom and dad come home and don’t talk to each other, right? And it’s like, that’s kind of one of the reasons why I say healthy relationship, because none of the podcasts I mentioned, you and us, you know, are not, you know, exclusive to this, but like the people that we know that have successful podcasts, have those kind of relationships, like even when the Mike’s not on, we’re all still talking to each other.
00:15:19:00 – 00:15:20:44
Chris Maier
Right? Yeah. No, I agree with that.
00:15:20:49 – 00:15:27:24
Agent Palmer
And so having questions, having topics is good. You’re here because I’m running an experiment.
00:15:27:28 – 00:15:28:21
Chris Maier
Okay.
00:15:28:26 – 00:15:29:11
Agent Palmer
I came across.
00:15:29:25 – 00:15:33:32
Chris Maier
In a cage. Sorry. I was just been listening to Billy Corgan’s podcast.
00:15:33:39 – 00:15:46:42
Agent Palmer
Okay, okay. Well, I’m well, and. Oh, you know what? Oh, you know, one of the other things that’s happened twice, that’s happened one and a half times. It’s happened since you were last on. Yeah, it’s I’ve gone in two, one and a half musical journeys.
00:15:46:46 – 00:15:47:23
Chris Maier
Nice.
00:15:47:28 – 00:15:59:12
Agent Palmer
And I showed you the playlists and the bands and the albums that were included in this. In fact, in my, in my more modern journey that I’m in right now, I’m in 1994, which is apparently an amazing year for music.
00:15:59:16 – 00:16:01:19
Chris Maier
Sure. That is, that’s that’s a.
00:16:01:24 – 00:16:03:48
Agent Palmer
That’s a thing for your that’s for our liner notes.
00:16:03:51 – 00:16:05:30
Chris Maier
I was just going to say you’re right in my wheelhouse when we.
00:16:05:30 – 00:16:35:27
Agent Palmer
Get back there, but, I just wanted to say, like, I’ve, I the amount of our liner notes, episodes that, poor scheduling has taken from us. Since those journeys, we should, we should really find a way to make this a regular recording slot. Anyway, I ran across the Prue’s questionnaire, which apparently used to be used in the 70s as like a game night, like people, couples and, you know, would get together and drink and just ask each other these probing questions.
00:16:35:41 – 00:16:45:26
Agent Palmer
And I said, well, I have four very good friends and I’d like them to all come back on the show, but I don’t want to just it to be a phone call like it can be.
00:16:45:28 – 00:16:45:47
Chris Maier
Playing.
00:16:45:47 – 00:17:09:15
Agent Palmer
Out, you know, let’s let’s do it a little bit more. So you, we’re going in reverse order. You were my best friend from most recent, and then we’ll go back to Zapata. And so you get first choice of all of these questions to ask me, and we’ll probably, bounce them off of each other. But obviously I probably set some of this up in the intro.
00:17:09:15 – 00:17:15:59
Agent Palmer
So without further ado, what’s the what’s the first question you want to ask out of this list?
00:17:16:03 – 00:17:29:36
Chris Maier
Let let’s go heavy right off okay. Like I I’ve see I’m not going to name them but I see a couple here and I’m like I’ve got nothing for that. I you know, some of them are probing and some of them are odd. I don’t even know that. If you ask me, some of them I would have an answer.
00:17:29:38 – 00:17:46:51
Chris Maier
Okay. Be honest, but, let’s let’s start heavy and really get into it, because I think it’ll also lend itself to our lead up conversation. You know, as far as, like podcasting and things like that go. But Palmer. Yeah, your question is, what is your main fault.
00:17:46:55 – 00:18:02:46
Agent Palmer
Or main fault? So I hate this question, by the way, because this is one of them I’ve been looking for. You know, I, I’ve found my consulting space to to make a little bit of money, by editing and producing podcasts.
00:18:02:50 – 00:18:04:05
Chris Maier
Nice.
00:18:04:09 – 00:18:23:02
Agent Palmer
I it’s not full game, full employment, you know, 9 to 5, you know, whatever. Whatever. I do get to make my own hours hustle. Yeah, but I mean, and so I get to make my own hours, and it’s kind of fun. But before I kind of landed here and it kind of took off a little bit, I was looking for a job, an interview.
00:18:23:02 – 00:18:29:56
Agent Palmer
This is one of those standard interview questions, too, right? Yeah. What are your weaknesses? Is usually how.
00:18:29:56 – 00:18:30:46
Chris Maier
You work too hard.
00:18:30:53 – 00:18:31:46
Agent Palmer
Yeah.
00:18:31:51 – 00:18:32:46
Chris Maier
Infection list.
00:18:32:50 – 00:18:43:54
Agent Palmer
But, my main fault. So I would say, oddly, I wonder if it changed in the last two months.
00:18:43:59 – 00:18:45:12
Chris Maier
Maybe.
00:18:45:17 – 00:19:06:20
Agent Palmer
Because obviously, having a baby, changes everything. And, so before, in a non-work setting where I’m being asked this question, I would kind of, like, lean towards the workaholic workaholism of everything. The,
00:19:06:24 – 00:19:10:19
Chris Maier
So, like, do you think you get tunnel vision and solely focused on things?
00:19:10:20 – 00:19:28:10
Agent Palmer
No, it’s, it’s it’s I so I think workaholic is half of it, and the other half is the lack of celebration. And that’s a personality thing. I don’t celebrate things. I don’t celebrate birthdays. I don’t celebrate milestones for myself. If if you, you know, I’ll send you a card for your birthday.
00:19:28:10 – 00:19:30:20
Chris Maier
Oh, does it make you uncomfortable? Is that the.
00:19:30:23 – 00:19:53:04
Agent Palmer
No, I just I it doesn’t make me uncomfortable, I just don’t it’s just not inherent in who I am. Sure. And one of the reasons I make, I point that out as a fault in hindsight. Now that we, you know, we my mother texts us and goes, happy two month. You know, it’s like, oh, or happy one month or happy.
00:19:53:04 – 00:19:53:56
Agent Palmer
You know, he’s.
00:19:53:58 – 00:19:58:08
Chris Maier
Already markers and milestones and they’re they’re pointing out points of your journey.
00:19:58:15 – 00:20:22:41
Agent Palmer
So which is fine. But they’re also milestones. And they, they should be celebrated. And I understand that. But for myself, especially when it comes to my passion projects, it’s always on to the next thing. And I do think, in removing myself a little bit from the situation, there is probably a fault there, right? Like I, I should be happy that I did, however many blog posts.
00:20:22:41 – 00:20:44:48
Agent Palmer
I don’t know how many blog posts I’ve done. I haven’t missed a Thursday, and I don’t know if I at least seven years now, and so that just keeps going on. I’m sure it’s I’m sure I’ve passed many milestones. Right. And and the the podcast. Steph and I announcing, a healthy baby boy on the podcast is episode 150, right?
00:20:45:00 – 00:21:08:12
Agent Palmer
That’s a, that’s a round number. I’m. It also means that because, every two weeks I’m approaching 3 or 6 years. These are milestones that I probably should take the time for. But, like, even though I’m saying it now, I’m on to the next one. You know, like, I’m not taking the time to celebrate. 150 I’m not taking the time to go.
00:21:08:19 – 00:21:30:30
Agent Palmer
All right. What special thing am I going to do for six years? I just move on. And I think that that’s probably more of a fault. And maybe having a kid and having a kid who’s going to want to celebrate things, the birth, not, you know, birthdays and other milestones. Maybe that’ll kind of soften the edge of that fault.
00:21:30:30 – 00:21:42:37
Agent Palmer
But for now, I’m still in that, like, I’ll celebrate for him. I’ll celebrate for her. I’ll celebrate for you. But for me, it’s fine. I don’t need any. I’m. You know I’m not. No, thanks.
00:21:42:42 – 00:21:55:37
Chris Maier
Okay. So two things. One. Yeah. If you don’t. Yeah. Celebrate the points and the things that you have worked hard for. Yeah. Then what are you working hard for if there’s no joy in it? Well, I think if you don’t take the moment.
00:21:55:39 – 00:22:17:09
Agent Palmer
Oh, no. Wait. So there there is joy in it. Like I say, I find like I’ve found a joy. Not not only in the recording. The recording is always fun, but I’ve managed to find some joy in the editing. Obviously the for the blog, but also for the podcast. When I write the intros and outros and when I write the blog posts, there’s a joy in the act of creation and writing.
00:22:17:13 – 00:22:19:54
Chris Maier
So action and completing the the task.
00:22:19:54 – 00:22:39:35
Agent Palmer
So I think part of it is that the joy is just somewhere else. I don’t need to celebrate it, because the fact that I have this thing, the fact that anybody’s listening to this right now is, you know, that’s my I put what I can into this, but I don’t put like, I don’t put blood and sweat into this.
00:22:39:48 – 00:22:43:45
Agent Palmer
Maybe it gets hot in the basement, but I’m putting my joy into this.
00:22:43:54 – 00:22:48:33
Chris Maier
Or you’re, you’re, you’re pulling joy from doing it. Yes, I see that. Okay.
00:22:48:33 – 00:23:14:50
Agent Palmer
But I think that’s the secret, though, because I do think that people like you and Steph and my parents, the people who see me sacrifice maybe a night out to to to edit, they would I, I think it’s now having a child. It’s looking back and going. I think the people around me would benefit from my taking the time to celebrate.
00:23:14:55 – 00:23:30:02
Chris Maier
Versus there is point to what I mean. We’re not going to peel the onion back enough to really understand why you won’t allow yourselves those yourself that moment to celebrate this and, you know, put the attention spotlight on yourself, whatever that is. I mean, it might be a guy thing. I’m not sure.
00:23:30:05 – 00:23:31:51
Agent Palmer
I mean, do you I mean, yeah.
00:23:31:51 – 00:23:56:51
Chris Maier
I mean, like birthdays in that I’m like, you know, maybe leave me alone and let me go golfing today, you know, like. Yeah, but I, I feel that and I don’t know what, what that is. So I, I see where you’re coming from. However, once you have a family or maybe especially when you have immediate family, children, you know, and, and you see it, you know, from a thousand yard view or whatever.
00:23:56:54 – 00:24:17:30
Chris Maier
Yeah. Sometimes of celebrations that Christine says it’s all the time because it was just her birthday. They’re not for you. Right. So your kid is going to want to make you a cool painting, you know, with with dad with the backwards D in the front, you’re going to get those because they want to celebrate you to be it, you know what I mean?
00:24:17:44 – 00:24:26:37
Chris Maier
And then you have to allow them those moments for you to go, it’s a, it’s a, you know, what you need to show them the grace to have in those situations. So it’ll change.
00:24:26:42 – 00:24:30:20
Agent Palmer
Yeah. It will. So I have two questions for you.
00:24:30:25 – 00:24:30:44
Chris Maier
Okay.
00:24:30:44 – 00:25:00:05
Agent Palmer
One, are you are you good with celebrating? Like, is that, like, I guess ignoring the birthday thing. Sure. You know, like you did celebrate. I remember you guys celebrating 304 hundred or maybe 204 hundred. Maybe not every podcast milestone. I know you’ve celebrated some. Sure. But are you, you know, for celebration, like, you know, that kind of stuff, or you kind of like me head down on to the next.
00:25:00:10 – 00:25:18:04
Chris Maier
Well, I mean, there’s a lot of head down on to the next. And life is just busy like that. But in a moment where, where it it’s time is allowed. Yes, I will celebrate. Okay. I like to have a good time all right. And and and things are worth celebrating. And I just think taking a moment to appreciate any achievement or milestone or what.
00:25:18:16 – 00:25:21:07
Chris Maier
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Let’s let’s, let’s toot the horn a little bit.
00:25:21:20 – 00:25:25:21
Agent Palmer
And, and and then I get to ask this back, like what? What is your main fault?
00:25:25:24 – 00:25:43:38
Chris Maier
Oh, my main fault. And it’s, you know, it’s been with me for as long as I can remember, and I don’t know how to phrase it because it’s. I mean, I’m sure it’s a common fault, but, maybe you can help me with it, but, my my biggest fault is letting things go. Oh, and I say when I say that, I don’t mean you.
00:25:43:38 – 00:26:01:15
Chris Maier
And I just got into an argument, and I can’t let it go. What I mean is, you and I start a podcast and, you know, for the first two months where we’re communicating, you know, three times a week. Hey, how about this idea? How about that idea? Okay, I’ll throw that in a doc. Okay, call me tonight.
00:26:01:15 – 00:26:30:32
Chris Maier
We’ll work over things, and then we’re recording every Thursday night and so on and so forth. And then six months from now, maybe we’re communicating once a week and we’re recording what’s a month? And then so on and so forth. Or if I get into something like, hey, maybe I should take up tennis, I’ll grab a racket and, you know, I’ll buy all the stuff and then I’ll take lessons and then I’m playing, and then I’ll join the league, and then maybe I go to the league every second week and then, you know, you get what I’m saying I do and and it, it’s, it’s been persistent not just in my hobbies or interests.
00:26:30:32 – 00:26:55:14
Chris Maier
It’s in my relationships. You know, I had a major move 16 years ago. I left the middle of the country. I moved out closer to the West Coast. Yeah. You know, not on the coast, but you get the point. Yeah. I had a large network of friends and people, and when I left, I stayed in touch to a degree, and I was pretty and, you know, and some of this is common, but, like, now I’m in touch with none of those people.
00:26:55:14 – 00:27:07:35
Chris Maier
And I lived in that place for 25 years. And there’s friends that I went to high school with and university with, and who saw me through, who were at my wedding. Sure. You know, and yeah. And now I can I don’t even know where they live.
00:27:07:40 – 00:27:11:48
Agent Palmer
But but but that means you have let go. Or is it.
00:27:11:52 – 00:27:15:19
Chris Maier
Or is it the fault? The fault is. Is that I let things go.
00:27:15:20 – 00:27:42:08
Agent Palmer
I but I so I, I have a problem saying that that’s a fault though, because just from my own experience. Right. And I know the baby takes time. So there are things I won’t have time for. But before the baby arrived, I was having trouble, playing guitar, picking up a bass, and getting on the drum kit to get a little bit better.
00:27:42:13 – 00:27:59:58
Agent Palmer
Once a week on, on those three instruments, I just, for some reason, even though I would make the time, like, it’d be like, I’ll just I’ll just pick up this bass again. I get, like a three weeks of bass and like, oh, I haven’t picked up a drumstick or a pick for a guitar and like three weeks, like.
00:28:00:03 – 00:28:24:54
Agent Palmer
And so that moderation thing. That’s a problem. Cut. And that’s three instruments. Right. Like you’re talking about many friendships and many hobbies. Yeah. And so I almost think you there could be a fault with letting it go. But there’s a benefit to letting it go too, because it means that you can move on to the next thing.
00:28:24:59 – 00:28:28:23
Chris Maier
Because I think it’s a fault though in that.
00:28:28:28 – 00:28:29:24
Agent Palmer
Do you think you give up too.
00:28:29:24 – 00:28:50:13
Chris Maier
Easy? I get I give up too easily. I like you know what it is. It’s it’s it’s accountability is like holding myself accountable. Okay. Right. That’s that would be I think if I have to phrase the fault, it’s holding myself accountable to something that I would like to do or I want. And I will easily go, you know, and, and shrug it off and let it go.
00:28:50:26 – 00:29:13:13
Chris Maier
And then how I know it’s a fault or, you know, a negative part of my personality or my life is that I will regret it later. Like the most recent example right now is, our liner notes, the podcast I started 6 or 7 years ago that you were a part of, my uncle started with me. My cousin was on, and then in more recent years, doing it with Matt.
00:29:13:13 – 00:29:35:23
Chris Maier
Yeah. And, it’s twofold with that, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Matt. I consider him a close personal friend. I just, enjoy him as a person. You know, we we’ve met in real life and spent time together. And in the beginning of our relationship via the podcast, we were regular communicators. We, you know, and we were doing the show regularly.
00:29:35:23 – 00:29:54:30
Chris Maier
Yes, we missed here and there, but for the most part, every two weeks we had a consistent, you know, we were out of 40 possible recording dates. We were getting 36. Yeah, 40 episodes. Right. Yeah. But since Kristen’s diagnosis in that and I’m not using that as an excuse, it’s more of a time marker than anything else I got you.
00:29:54:45 – 00:30:13:15
Chris Maier
You know, where we used to communicate more often? It’s a lot less. He’s still making the effort. This is not anything about him in particular, but just, you know, there I just find that there’s there’s times where I could reach out where I would normally would have, but instead I’m just sitting there sort of vegging on something else, like, like, well.
00:30:13:20 – 00:30:13:30
Agent Palmer
00:30:13:39 – 00:30:14:20
Chris Maier
So.
00:30:14:24 – 00:30:46:00
Agent Palmer
Okay, so I will interject and say that, there is something else at play here because, I, I, I love your wife. But when you and I talk. Yes, I always ask about you because I feel like nobody’s asking about you. And. And that’s not just you. I know other people where I always ask about the caregiver as opposed to the person going through it because nobody’s asking about them.
00:30:46:05 – 00:31:05:18
Agent Palmer
And I want to make sure you’re okay, because if you’re okay, then I think Kristen’s probably better off, right? Right. So you have to give yourself some slack for that. But the other part is, you know, we all have our ebbs and flows, like the next person to do the first questions with me is Bill Sweeney.
00:31:05:18 – 00:31:09:05
Agent Palmer
And I love the man. But if I don’t call him, he’ll never call me.
00:31:09:10 – 00:31:12:59
Chris Maier
Right. And I’m guilty of that. You know, I’m probably in the same category as Bill.
00:31:13:04 – 00:31:28:37
Agent Palmer
And so. But but that’s a two way street. Like I know that. So I will call you. And even if we don’t connect for 7 or 8 or nine calls in a row, probably, you know, over the course of like five weeks, I know eventually we will.
00:31:28:42 – 00:31:32:13
Chris Maier
Right. And that’s what makes you a good friend. But and especially for me.
00:31:32:13 – 00:31:46:00
Agent Palmer
But it’s also but it’s twofold because there are people that would be like, why do you keep calling me? I just don’t have the time. Do you know what I mean? Like, so that that’s on you for being a good friend to. Because, you know, I’m going to do that, but you’re okay with it. Like. Well, yes, we’ll get there when we get there.
00:31:46:05 – 00:31:58:57
Agent Palmer
I don’t I think we both have, I think, if we go back to the interview thing, we both have weak faults, which is good, right? That’s that’s what you want. That’s what you want. So we’ll move on.
00:31:59:02 – 00:31:59:35
Chris Maier
Okay.
00:31:59:40 – 00:32:03:09
Agent Palmer
Let’s go to, whatever the what what’s the what’s next?
00:32:03:14 – 00:32:19:43
Chris Maier
Okay. This is this is the kind of words I think you were, you would be most afraid of. Okay. It. Yeah. Are you ready for Palmer? Let me ask you this. Yeah. What country would you most like to live in?
00:32:19:48 – 00:32:37:40
Agent Palmer
Okay, so, you know, I think, right now, Canada. But I also think that in the before times, Canada.
00:32:37:45 – 00:32:46:20
Chris Maier
This is exactly why I ask this. I mean, there there is some extra dressing on this question because it’s the last 100 days or so, but.
00:32:46:25 – 00:32:48:06
Agent Palmer
It’s so there’s so.
00:32:48:11 – 00:32:59:53
Chris Maier
I’ve always been my, my, my, Canadian counterpart that lives in America. Your, your love of things, of this country comes long before any sort of political climate.
00:32:59:58 – 00:33:32:38
Agent Palmer
This is true. So and it’s and you know what? So, you and I kind of connected ignoring the music and the podcasting, through, two things very specifically, the CFL and baseball. Right. And, so there was a little bit of Canadian stuff going on, and I, I didn’t know how Canadian they were, but at the time I was a fan of the band, which was is mostly Canadian.
00:33:32:43 – 00:33:53:50
Agent Palmer
And there were other things I like Neil Young, I, you know, there were there were some Canadian things. Right. And then you introduced me to the hip, which got kind of opens another door to Canada. There’s a there’s a comedy troupe out west, further west than you in Canada that kind of opens the door a little bit further.
00:33:53:54 – 00:34:09:27
Agent Palmer
And then, we discovered Corner Gas, which is kind of kind of international. I don’t know that all most of that humor is not Canadian. It’s just small town. But there is some Canadian to it.
00:34:09:31 – 00:34:14:48
Chris Maier
And maybe being Canadian, that that is probably one of the most Canadian shows we produced.
00:34:14:53 – 00:34:40:40
Agent Palmer
And then but most recently. So all of that is this. And on early on in this episode, I had a Canadian on who asked. We talked about my interest in Canada specifically, like I got grilled about it, which is fine. Like I’m genuinely interested, but like the other part of it is recently, Stefan, I have a I found a new Canadian show to watch.
00:34:40:45 – 00:35:13:38
Agent Palmer
And it’s, it might be the most Canadian show and it’s called Still Standing. And the reason I say it’s the most Canadian show is because Johnny Harris, the comedian, goes around to small towns that have survived and he puts a positive spin on all of it that could that that could not happen in America. Like there are small towns dying all over America and have been for the last 50 years since farming stopped being a manmade endeavor.
00:35:13:38 – 00:35:22:19
Agent Palmer
And, you know, one guy with the right, you know, plow can do the work of what used to be ten guys, right? Right.
00:35:22:25 – 00:35:22:43
Chris Maier
Yep.
00:35:22:52 – 00:35:30:45
Agent Palmer
And he goes to these towns where lumber is left and the mill closed down in the mine, went away. And he finds a positive spin on it.
00:35:30:50 – 00:35:35:02
Chris Maier
Yes, he did one on Okanagan Falls. It’s a ten minute drive south of me.
00:35:35:07 – 00:35:56:10
Agent Palmer
And yeah, every time he every time he’s near you, we’re like, oh. And so, it’s it’s one of those things where I think that now when you ask that question, not only will I say Canada, but I’ll say like one of those towns that was on still stayed like, send me to one of those small towns that, you know.
00:35:56:15 – 00:36:00:17
Chris Maier
As Little Falls are building new houses out there. I mean, be a great opportunity.
00:36:00:25 – 00:36:24:21
Agent Palmer
As long as I’ve got an internet connection, I can do my job and keep the podcast going. Right. Like, I’m, I’m, I, I don’t know what it is. And here’s the kicker. Here’s the real kicker 20 years ago. I might have said Australia or New Zealand okay. Because they’re also I’m English speaking and I’m probably not in a position in my life.
00:36:24:27 – 00:37:02:01
Agent Palmer
I know if I moved somewhere like Spain or, you know, Germany or Poland where like if you’re there you’ll pick up eventually. It’s not like learning the language while living in America. Like, yeah, you’d use it. You you would eventually pick it up. But I always defaulted to, English speaking places when I thought about, like, if I was going to living abroad, living abroad, and I just, I don’t know, there’s also this climate change aspect, which is I live in Pennsylvania, which is now subtropical.
00:37:02:05 – 00:37:28:12
Agent Palmer
It was not that way when I was growing up. It’s getting warmer. There are smells and sense in springtime and summer that smell like with the humidity and the heat that remind me of my grandfather’s house in Baltimore when I was ten. I’m, you know, I’m 30 years removed from that. And I’m like, why is that in my house up here?
00:37:28:22 – 00:37:48:22
Agent Palmer
Like, this is a different parallel completely. That should not be up here. Right? So now, in answering this question, it’s not just English speaking, it’s not just because I like the culture and I acknowledge that Canada has its own culture. It’s also that, like, well, it’s cooler up there and I don’t like want it to be any warmer.
00:37:48:27 – 00:37:58:08
Chris Maier
Right. Yeah. Also, now being a new father in the current political climate, how how are you feeling down there? And again, you don’t have to get into okay. So you don’t have that.
00:37:58:08 – 00:38:14:55
Agent Palmer
How am I feeling, my son? You sent us a nice gift. My son wrote you a thank you card that said, my, my parents. Tell me your nice Canadians who will take me in if stuff goes south and you.
00:38:14:55 – 00:38:17:04
Chris Maier
Just south, bomber. It’s cool. And.
00:38:17:04 – 00:38:27:18
Agent Palmer
Yeah. And and you said thank you. Not know when you received it. So that’s I think that answers the question.
00:38:27:23 – 00:38:36:58
Agent Palmer
So what what about you? I mean, obviously, within your own family, there have been plenty of Canadians that have emigrated to the United States. Yeah.
00:38:36:58 – 00:38:38:15
Chris Maier
We don’t talk about that.
00:38:38:19 – 00:38:58:55
Agent Palmer
But, you know, if you were gonna if, if, if you and the girls and Kristen were were open to we’re going to go together as a family somewhere else, we want to leave Canada like. And they’re like, but dad gets to choose. Where are you going?
00:38:59:00 – 00:39:17:57
Chris Maier
Well, when dad was younger, he was enthralled with all things, English, you know, music specifically. And so I would have picked up and move somewhere in the UK. I don’t know or not. I’ve never been, you know, for all my, my love affair with, with the culture and what’s come out of that country. I’ve never been.
00:39:17:57 – 00:39:39:01
Chris Maier
So I have no experience say, well, I probably like to live in North London or, you know, what have you. But honestly, right now, especially with the things that have happened in your country and the, the most recent threats to my country’s sovereignty. I have never been a prouder Canadian. There I am in the right country.
00:39:39:01 – 00:40:01:17
Chris Maier
Okay? I would I would never pick up and leave and especially now, there’s just there’s too much. I love it here. Too much. There’s too much work to do. Yeah. And there’s nothing that solidified that more than the events of the last few months. Yeah. You know, just just after that came out where your president was.
00:40:01:19 – 00:40:01:49
Agent Palmer
51st.
00:40:01:49 – 00:40:21:56
Chris Maier
During your stay. Trenton. Yeah. Calling our prime minister, governor. And whether it’s a stunt or whatever, the play is there. Yeah, we took it very, very seriously up here. And I don’t think he or other Americans knew how. Seriously? Because let’s be fair, for the most part, Americans don’t think about us. They don’t even realize we’re up here.
00:40:22:08 – 00:40:28:24
Chris Maier
Yeah, or that we are a 51st state. Like, do do we share something? Are they kind of like like, do you know what I mean? We’re we’re.
00:40:28:28 – 00:40:38:30
Agent Palmer
We’re NAFTA. And and because it was such, friendly, alliance, you know, like it’s almost like you don’t question your, all.
00:40:38:30 – 00:40:39:26
Chris Maier
Your stupid wars.
00:40:39:26 – 00:40:47:09
Agent Palmer
You don’t, you don’t question your friends so, so much. Right? Like you almost you care more about the people that hate you than the people that like you.
00:40:47:13 – 00:40:55:33
Chris Maier
And so yeah, well, it’s like going to your cafeteria table with the same five people who’ve had your back since, you know, grade six and flipping over their, their lunch tray.
00:40:55:46 – 00:41:19:57
Agent Palmer
Yeah. But I was, I was, I will say maybe it’s because I know more of you than the average American like, I, I, I was expecting a response. I was very happy for you that it happened so quickly. Like, you guys closed ranks within like, hours. Like I was like, man, it’ll take it’ll take a couple days. And I was like, hours later, elbows up, let’s go.
00:41:19:57 – 00:41:43:13
Chris Maier
Like, who’s there? Elbows up, flags I have there was a period much like in America when we were going through Covid. There is a conservative faction that was, you know, against masking and vaccinations. And, you know, we had a freedom convoy that all happened up here. There is conservative elements of this country. We’re different, but there are some similarities.
00:41:43:18 – 00:41:56:52
Chris Maier
That said, during that time the Canadian flag was kind of appropriated. Yep. Right there. You know, there’s if you saw someone driving their truck down the street with the hockey stick and the flag on it flapping, that you kind of knew where that guy or girl stood.
00:41:56:54 – 00:41:59:25
Agent Palmer
Now it’s kind of, you know, claimed it back.
00:41:59:33 – 00:42:20:06
Chris Maier
Yeah. That’s correct because now it’s flying on houses everywhere. I mean, it’s it’s amazing. We were sold out of flags for a little while. We had to. And then, our governments working with other governments outside. I mean, we were happy to be your trade partner. We love the relationship. But with the uncertainty and the threats, it’s like, okay, well, let’s go with our other friends.
00:42:20:06 – 00:42:36:21
Chris Maier
Now we’ve got each other and just quickly shifted. I mean, it’s to the point now where I go to my my wife’s gone to the grocery store and you will see people, you know, old people like me with the glasses down the nose, looking at the finer details of the box because they want to see where it’s made.
00:42:36:33 – 00:42:57:36
Chris Maier
Yeah. And there has been an absolute refusal to buy American things. The tourism that has nosedived, especially all the town and I, I feel bad in that I don’t think this is Americans. Yeah. That have have caused this but a faction of the country and then.
00:42:57:41 – 00:42:58:30
Agent Palmer
Yeah you have to.
00:42:58:30 – 00:43:13:26
Chris Maier
You know, foolishness of of the election. Yep. However these are the things that we have to do to make sure that we’re ready in case something else crazy comes down the pipe at any moment’s notice. And and yes, it was it was immediate and it was swept.
00:43:13:30 – 00:43:38:29
Agent Palmer
Yeah. I’m still happening. Yeah. And I, I, you know, if you’ll have me. Well, we’ll, we’ll move to one of those small, still standing towns, I promise. We don’t have to live in the heart of anything. And at least at the moment, my dollar is still strong, so, you might actually be able to buy a house.
00:43:38:34 – 00:43:41:11
Agent Palmer
That’s a whole. That’s a whole different thing.
00:43:41:16 – 00:43:42:33
Chris Maier
Picking on that one. Yeah.
00:43:42:38 – 00:43:46:56
Agent Palmer
All right, so, let’s go. Let’s move on to the third question.
00:43:47:01 – 00:44:04:01
Chris Maier
All right. So we we started hard, then we went a little more introspective, and now we’re going back to, to, you know, I, I would you call it negative, but. Well, I guess it has negative connotations. And the question is, Palmer, what would be your greatest misfortune?
00:44:04:06 – 00:44:37:20
Agent Palmer
So greatest misfortune. Now, there was a certain period of time when I would have equated my greatest misfortune to being my greatest fear, which was would have been boredom. Okay. I don’t know that that’s the case now. I think, you know, my greatest misfortune now has a lot more to do with, having a wife and child and the the the the welfare of my wife and child.
00:44:37:20 – 00:45:19:11
Agent Palmer
Probably above myself. And obviously, that’s a new thing. You know, I’m I’m sitting here talking to you with a two month old, and having only been married for, like, I don’t know, seven months. But it doesn’t take long for that, mindset change to really kick in. Yeah. If we if we ignore family, I don’t know that I could put a finger on a greater misfortune than the one I have already endured in that I had a job I liked and it went away.
00:45:19:16 – 00:45:42:48
Agent Palmer
And when it went away, a lot of people asked me what I wanted to do, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. And maybe even more to a point, while I love editing podcasts and producing them for money and for free for myself, like this one, I still don’t know that that’s definitively what I want to do.
00:45:42:53 – 00:46:18:51
Agent Palmer
And not knowing the answer to that question has been pretty horrifying of late, because the older I get, regardless of how things change, like, I’m aware that, the generation after us, specifically, and I’m a older generation guy, but millennials and the generation beyond millennials are not going to look at themselves as their job. They’re I’m Jason, I’m Chris first.
00:46:18:56 – 00:46:22:43
Agent Palmer
And I happen to work in X, y and Z.
00:46:22:48 – 00:46:23:53
Chris Maier
00:46:23:58 – 00:46:38:00
Agent Palmer
But being in the older generation and kind of a little bit more with a general generation X kind of mentality, we grew up thinking that, hi I’m Chris, I’m a banker. Like yeah. You know.
00:46:38:00 – 00:46:38:46
Chris Maier
I have my job.
00:46:38:46 – 00:47:08:12
Agent Palmer
I am my job. And so not having an answer isn’t the worst thing in the world. But it kind of is because I don’t I find myself like grasping for an identity, you know? Yeah. I am also a husband and father, but, like, what else am I? You know, because I, I go, all right, well, if we break it down, I’m an editor and producer of podcasts.
00:47:08:12 – 00:47:32:22
Agent Palmer
I’m a podcast host, I’m a blogger, I’m a writer, I’m a consultant. I’m a marketer. Like, yeah, I just named you seven things plus father and husband that nine like, okay. And I’m, I run. So I’m a runner. That’s ten different things. But what am I? Do you know what I mean? And so because I still have that maybe baby Boomer Gen X you know we want to define it.
00:47:32:27 – 00:47:56:32
Agent Palmer
I think I’m living through that kind of misfortune by not being able to put a point on it. And I don’t know, I’m I think every day, every week, every month that goes by, especially since losing that job many years ago, it’s gotten a little bit easier for myself. But I live in a world with other people, and those people ask these questions and I still have no answer.
00:47:56:36 – 00:48:27:18
Agent Palmer
And I think right now that’s my biggest misfortune. If you take, you know, family out of the equation and it’s just I, I would like to, to be able to answer the question. And look, there are projects, one very specifically that you know about that I haven’t told anybody about yet. That’s also going on, which would add just another label, another job title two that list.
00:48:27:23 – 00:48:51:24
Agent Palmer
And I’m okay with, I’m okay with that. But I also live in a world where people want an answer and I don’t have a good one. And that’s kind of been one of the reasons that I’m doubling down on my, my luck and my good fortune, to have the, the paid gigs I do have because I don’t have to go out and answer that question.
00:48:51:29 – 00:49:14:46
Agent Palmer
But there may come a time when I do, and every day that goes on, I’m like, I don’t know, like, I don’t know. And this is the honest answer. I can lie, but I would probably. But if you asked me every week on Fridays for an answer and even said lie about it, I don’t know that I’d give you the same answer five Fridays in a row, you know what I mean?
00:49:14:46 – 00:49:28:50
Agent Palmer
Like so even even trying to just force an answer, I don’t think I’d be able to come up with the same one consistently. And I think that’s kind of my current misfortune.
00:49:28:55 – 00:49:51:22
Chris Maier
Right? Yeah. Well, it it because you get caught because it’s, you know, your situation forced you to ask yourself the question, what do I want to do? Where before you didn’t need to you you were what you were doing. Yeah. And and you were satisfied with. That is what I’m hearing. Yeah, I was, but I also wonder if the answer to that question isn’t necessarily because it is, you know, depending on who’s asking.
00:49:51:31 – 00:50:05:59
Chris Maier
Yeah, it’s more often than not. What are you going to do? Not what do you want to do? That’s fair. Because at the end of the day, especially as a family man or just a person navigating this world, there are just certain things you need to eat. The lights need to come on you. Do you know what I mean?
00:50:06:05 – 00:50:19:07
Chris Maier
Like, you need to clothe yourself so there becomes need more than than want. So I think, I think what you’ve discovered more than anything is you may have learned what you don’t want, but you know what you need.
00:50:19:12 – 00:50:19:51
Agent Palmer
Yes.
00:50:19:56 – 00:50:23:10
Chris Maier
And that. So you can take that question a couple of ways.
00:50:23:17 – 00:50:32:33
Agent Palmer
That’s true. So what about what about you? What if I turned it around? You know, what is, your mind?
00:50:32:36 – 00:50:40:27
Chris Maier
The symptom. So I took this is what would be okay. Like in your mind, if you know what could happen to you, that would be your. But I.
00:50:40:27 – 00:50:45:10
Agent Palmer
Want to I want to immediately caveat it by saying take family out of it, because I feel that’s.
00:50:45:15 – 00:50:51:35
Chris Maier
Been I don’t have an answer because that and here’s what I say, that,
00:50:51:40 – 00:50:53:10
Agent Palmer
You can weather anything yourself.
00:50:53:24 – 00:51:21:44
Chris Maier
Yeah, I, I’ve just found that any that’s that’s it. Anything that happens that, you know, if, if my business went belly up, those people that I’m worried that misfortune would befall. Yeah. Would close ranks around me and I would have a support system. Okay. Right. Like, I don’t know that there’s anything that could happen to me where I wouldn’t feel supported.
00:51:21:49 – 00:51:40:54
Chris Maier
And, you know, that is my great fortune. Yes. So I’m not. I’m not. You know, if I lost my eyesight, if the economy tanked and I, you know, I’m a, small business owner, and my, you know, I would just like you did. I don’t know what I would want to be, but I know that I can do something.
00:51:40:54 – 00:52:03:39
Chris Maier
Yes. And I would do everything. Yep. To to again avoid misfortune befalling my immediate family. And I would say that if we go back to the fault question, a fault I had in my younger years before, you know, we’re young, we’re dumb. Yeah. And you’re not, responsible. Or again, here comes that word accountable. Yep. To people per se.
00:52:03:44 – 00:52:36:48
Chris Maier
Other than yourself having a family, being married, having a partner, having children, it’s really their fortunes that I’m most invested in. And that wasn’t the case for me. And yet, yes, obviously children are different, but I just I don’t think I was, as accountable to others and people who were important to me in my life. Yeah, from lack of awareness, ignorance, whatever you want to call it, that having people who mean everything to me this close to me, you know, a light bulb comes on, it goes, this is what it really means to care about something.
00:52:36:48 – 00:52:56:58
Chris Maier
Someone outside of yourself. Yeah, and I care, you know, back to your celebration point. Yeah. And not celebrating things for yourself again. If my birthday got forgotten, I’m not going to be in a snit all day because of it. And. Yeah, okay. But if I had to watch one of my children behave in such a way or like I don’t care, it would break my heart.
00:52:56:58 – 00:53:04:27
Chris Maier
Okay. And so that that to me truly is the greatest misfortune, because I don’t know that there’s anything more important than that.
00:53:04:40 – 00:53:15:50
Agent Palmer
That’s fair, I think. I think the other thing which is funny is like, I know personally as far as like being there for other people.
00:53:15:54 – 00:53:16:35
Chris Maier
Yeah.
00:53:16:39 – 00:53:43:09
Agent Palmer
I could argue that both you and I have a similar fault in that. Like, we will do maybe excess for other people that we may not do for ourself. And I bring it up because it’s a conversation point I have with a friend all the time where I’m like, you wouldn’t let your family do this. Like, you’re, you’re you’re you’re working more than you should.
00:53:43:20 – 00:54:05:53
Agent Palmer
You’re not taking time for yourself. And if this was happening to your sister or your mother or me, you would call them out on it. But you’re willing to do it for yourself. Yes. And and who’s going to protect you? And I think you and I maybe fit into that category, but like, I think of late, part of it’s circumstantial, part of it’s just life and getting older.
00:54:05:57 – 00:54:26:55
Agent Palmer
I think we are starting to step back and do some of the things for others now for ourselves and taking time, which is why I don’t blame you for not emailing back me or calling me back or, emailing Matt back when you can just veg because, you know, you’ve been on your feet for 18 hours and that’s fine.
00:54:27:00 – 00:54:55:14
Agent Palmer
Like, no, you know what I mean? Like, even Matt would say like, dude, it’s it’s it’s cool. Like, it’s like you don’t you don’t need to, you don’t need to kill yourself to, like, you know, it’ll it’ll simmer. We’ll we’ll get back to it. And just like, this is like you and I have spoken on the phone maybe four times since the last, like, really talked four times since five years ago when you were last on this show.
00:54:55:19 – 00:54:56:48
Chris Maier
Sure. Yep.
00:54:56:52 – 00:55:18:09
Agent Palmer
Is that a great thing? No. But you know what? We’re you know, I it’s we still care. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I don’t it’s like we don’t talk as much, we don’t record as much, but nothing’s changed and that’s fine. Right. Like and we I think we have to give ourselves that slack like we would others, you know.
00:55:18:09 – 00:55:18:35
Agent Palmer
Yeah.
00:55:18:40 – 00:55:20:14
Chris Maier
Yeah. Okay. Sure.
00:55:20:19 – 00:55:28:19
Agent Palmer
But I will say if whether it’s your show or mine, we’re not going to wait three and a half or four more years.
00:55:28:24 – 00:55:37:24
Chris Maier
Agreed.
00:55:37:29 – 00:55:57:51
Agent Palmer
So one first question, er, episode down. More to come, though. Not right away. They’ll be spread out. And what did we learn? That my friend Chris and I are happy to just catch up and talk, that we’re willing to work on ourselves, even if it’s on Mike, even if we can’t pull back every layer of the onion, we still dive down as deep as possible in the time we have together.
00:55:57:55 – 00:56:22:38
Agent Palmer
Well, as I’ve recorded the others, this may be a common theme, but there’s another theme that’s perhaps more important. We’re open and willing to talk. You can joke about us as podcasters. Of course you can talk. But the thing is, before we were co-hosts together, Chris and I would talk. Before I was a podcaster, I would talk at length with Zapata and Chris and Bill and Chris, and with my wife Steph.
00:56:22:43 – 00:56:42:53
Agent Palmer
There are people in my life where a phone call could easily be recorded and released as this podcast, and that’s just on the phone for us who are on the call. We talk, but more than that, we communicate. That’s what this is all about. Maybe the questionnaire is a great way to open the door. If you can’t think of a way through on your own.
00:56:43:00 – 00:57:05:25
Agent Palmer
But exchanging words and ideas with others is something I don’t ever want to take for granted. It’s at the core of my being. And if you’re listening to this, it’s probably important to you too. Thanks for listening to The Palmer Files episode 152. And now for the official business. The Palmer Files releases every two weeks on Tuesdays. If you’re still listening, I encourage you to join the discussion.
00:57:05:39 – 00:57:26:42
Agent Palmer
You can find all related ways to contact myself and my guest Chris in the show notes. Chris and his lovely wife Kristin can be heard on How Was Your Week, honey? And Chris and Matt. Sometimes myself and many others can be heard on our liner notes. If you’re curious. There’s enough backlog that you can start now and still not be done by the time new episodes start to air regularly.
00:57:26:47 – 00:57:46:33
Agent Palmer
Bill Sweeney was an executive producer for this episode. The music for this episode was provided by Henno Heitur. Email and comments can be sent to this show at The Palmer Files at gmail.com. And remember, you’re home for all things Agent Palmer is Agent palmer.com.
00:57:46:38 – 00:58:25:52
Agent Palmer
You.
00:58:25:57 – 00:58:28:39
Agent Palmer
Chris, I have one final question for you.
00:58:28:44 – 00:58:30:02
Chris Maier
Lay on me.
00:58:30:07 – 00:58:58:06
Agent Palmer
The questionnaire was for friends to get together and ask and talk about. Not in just an intimate one on one setting, but like in a with a with a bunch of people. Sure. Like in a party setting. You asked some very, very hard hitting questions. Does this sound like a fun party game for you in front of not just you and me, but like your wife, my wife?
00:58:58:06 – 00:59:03:47
Agent Palmer
Maybe a couple other couples? Like this was a game in the 70s.
00:59:03:51 – 00:59:23:44
Chris Maier
Like simpler times. Warmer. I. I wonder, though, I mean, they’re only the questions are only as probing as the answer that you wish to give. This is right. Right. So if you said, what would be your greatest misfortune? I mean, you could have said, well, I just brought these bought these brand new Nike’s. I’d hate for them to get lost.
00:59:23:48 – 00:59:25:30
Agent Palmer
I a flat tire like.
00:59:25:32 – 00:59:31:16
Chris Maier
Yes. Okay. They’re only as as deep as as as you answer them.
00:59:31:20 – 00:59:39:45
Agent Palmer
Right? All it takes is one person to give like a serious answer. And everybody else is like, either I’m not going to answer like that or I got to come up with something good.
00:59:39:49 – 00:59:43:33
Chris Maier
He’s like the pressure. You can’t. Yeah.
00:59:43:34 – 00:59:44:31
Agent Palmer
And the other thing would be.
00:59:44:32 – 01:00:00:30
Chris Maier
A safe environment, I guess. This this couldn’t be a, Hey, we’re all parents of kids that go to the same school, and we’re having a get together, so let’s let’s all let’s really get to know each other. That’s true. I mean, this this would be like, I could see, you coming on. How was your weekend with Steph?
01:00:00:30 – 01:00:14:21
Chris Maier
And as a group of four? Yeah. You know, getting into this stuff because we there’s a base level of understanding and knowledge of each other that we could kind of go to that next step. And I don’t need you to color in a lot of your answers, because I already know something of you. In order to know where you’re coming.
01:00:14:21 – 01:00:22:13
Agent Palmer
From, I think there’s a the other piece to this is like, I feel like you need,
01:00:22:17 – 01:00:23:01
Chris Maier
01:00:23:06 – 01:00:47:37
Agent Palmer
A level of, I guess, media savvy in order to not be like, ditto. Right? Like, sure. Like like if ignoring the political climate, if three people want to say Canada as the places they live, the reasoning for it becomes diminishing returns by the time the third person says it. And so you need this kind of on your feet.
01:00:47:37 – 01:00:52:43
Agent Palmer
You don’t have to be a podcaster, but just some savvy to be like, well, you know.
01:00:52:43 – 01:00:56:49
Chris Maier
I, I see where this conversation is, has been. I need it to go somewhere else.
01:00:57:03 – 01:01:22:58
Agent Palmer
Yeah. And if you’re playing it for a game, even if you’re being serious, you can do some tongue in cheek stuff if you want. Like I, I never thought about England, but, like, if I’m being honest, there is one downside to moving to Canada, and that is rail is good in infrastructure. But if I went to Europe, everything is a six hour train ride away, correct?
01:01:22:59 – 01:01:50:08
Agent Palmer
Right. Like and so and look at that’s probably not Canada and North America in general. When we gave up rail we really gave up rail. Maybe to the detriment of the planet, our own time, our sanity, everything. But, you know, there is a part of it that’s like, you know, six hours not driving to be almost anywhere, like in, like, 17 different countries.
01:01:50:13 – 01:01:52:10
Agent Palmer
Just sound kind of nice.
01:01:52:19 – 01:01:56:57
Chris Maier
It does sound pretty cool. I mean, again, if you’re in that adventure space in your life.
01:01:57:01 – 01:02:01:08
Agent Palmer
Well, that’s the other thing too. I don’t know that that. Yeah, I mean, great.
01:02:01:13 – 01:02:31:37
Chris Maier
I mean, the, the gorgeous thing of our country and, you know, you and I have talked about this, but just for your listeners and anyone who may not know, we’re as wide if not wider than you, but 90% or whatever it is, if our population is within 100km, 60 miles of, of the Canadian American border, but each individual city, you know, your Vancouver, your Calgary, your Regina to Winnipeg, all those cities are 6 to 10 hour drive away from each other.
01:02:31:44 – 01:02:54:05
Chris Maier
Yeah. And so to go to the other major cities, road tripping is one of our greatest pastimes. I mean, everybody in this country knows a great road trip. You know, from the generation I, I grew up in, load up in the station wagon, you know, family vacation style. And in a way, you go right and and it’s just a part of our culture and.
01:02:54:05 – 01:03:06:46
Chris Maier
Yeah. And I love that. So yes, you’re right, I can’t I can’t just hop on a train and go see Ottawa, you know, today, you know, but I could plan a two week family vacation to tour the country and get there.
01:03:06:51 – 01:03:22:10
Agent Palmer
That’s there. And I think that’s the other. Maybe that’s a another cultural divide. It’s like every time I hear Canadians of any kind talk about road trips, it is a discover your like, get to know your own.
01:03:22:10 – 01:03:24:26
Chris Maier
Country, your backyard. Yes. Yeah.
01:03:24:30 – 01:03:48:06
Agent Palmer
Anytime an American talks about it, it’s all about the destination. Right. Like I if if it’s, you know, I’m in Pennsylvania and I know people that have a road trip to Florida to go to Disney, they couldn’t tell me one thing if they even tried to stop for the 14 different states. They probably drove through to get to Florida.
01:03:48:20 – 01:03:57:52
Agent Palmer
Right? And it’s like, well, what about the like part of the destination is the journey or whatever. Like that quote is like the journey is part of it. Like so it.
01:03:57:57 – 01:04:14:33
Chris Maier
It’s it’s the roadside stops. It’s the, the giant catfish outside of Selkirk to take pictures in front of you. You know what I mean? It’s. Yeah, it’s it’s the endless miles of flat wheatfields where, you know, the corner gas joke. You can watch your dog run away for three hours.
01:04:14:38 – 01:04:23:42
Agent Palmer
Although there is a part of it which is part of that is we’ve we removed that. Right. That’s you’re talking about the old route 66, which.
01:04:23:44 – 01:04:24:17
Chris Maier
Okay.
01:04:24:21 – 01:04:46:38
Agent Palmer
The moment we started building interstates, we built something faster, smoother and completely removed from the old 66 where you have to get off of the highway to get gas. Yeah, but there’s nothing that you can just stop and see. And so we, we, we kind of did that to ourselves. I would like to see us go back to some of that stuff.
01:04:46:38 – 01:04:54:17
Agent Palmer
I think it would be, I don’t know, great to get to kind of know like your neighbors.
01:04:54:21 – 01:04:59:22
Chris Maier
Absolutely. But I think that’s coming back up here thanks to what’s happening.
01:04:59:27 – 01:05:23:53
Agent Palmer
I mean, I’ll say this, I know my neighbors, like Steph was pregnant over the winter. So like, we’ve we’ve surprised a few neighbors because you’re just not out at the same time. Sure. But now, the baby’s met most of our neighbors. I think we we we’ve we’ve talked to our neighbors a little bit more now that, like, it’s spring again.
01:05:23:58 – 01:05:34:42
Agent Palmer
And I’m also, you know, I’ve got a neighbor who’s, moving and I’m like, oh, she was a great, you know, you like you just like, oh, yes. Okay.
01:05:34:42 – 01:05:37:10
Chris Maier
Well no, I feel that.
01:05:37:15 – 01:05:47:57
Agent Palmer
Yeah. So anyway, I, I, I think that for us this is a great party game, but maybe not. Maybe. Maybe you’re right. It’s very specific company.
01:05:48:11 – 01:05:49:55
Chris Maier
Yes, absolutely.
01:05:50:00 – 01:05:52:17
Agent Palmer
What would have been your fourth? Just so I know.
01:05:52:19 – 01:06:08:29
Chris Maier
I was going to go with, And maybe I’ll just shorten it into my last question for you quickly. I was going to go with, you know, what would be what was your favorite occupation or what would mean happiness for you? But I’m just going to cut to the chase and say, how’s your playing going?
01:06:08:34 – 01:06:43:27
Agent Palmer
Okay. So, not not as well as I’d like, of course. But, I am starting to get it picked up a little bit more. But most specifically, I’m not practicing like I want to. Gotcha. But I am playing for the baby to get him used to hearing. Yeah. Live music, I guess. And I do have to.
01:06:43:32 – 01:07:17:39
Agent Palmer
I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s my ego’s in the way or my lack of self-confidence in singing, so I’m still only playing. It’s a whole different kind of can of worms. Sure, but I am playing, And I’m playing the things I know inherently. But I’m also trying to learn, like, some hip songs. And so I’m playing some practice stuff, but it’s just kind of like kid, your mom likes music and your dad likes playing music, so get used to this.
01:07:17:44 – 01:07:39:09
Agent Palmer
Yes. And it’s, you know, so I, I would, I would like to play more, I again, part of it is also, you know, I want to pick up my bass more often, but it’s it’s all the way down in the at least with the acoustic stuff. Like, I have an acoustic in the living room.
01:07:39:13 – 01:07:39:58
Chris Maier
Yeah. You just pick it up.
01:07:39:58 – 01:07:55:00
Agent Palmer
I have, I have a, three quarter size acoustic in his bedroom, so, like, you know, there’s always an instrument around, but, like, the main axes, so to speak, are all down here.
01:07:55:05 – 01:07:58:14
Chris Maier
So it’s like an appointment, like you have to purposefully go down there with.
01:07:58:19 – 01:08:17:50
Agent Palmer
And the same is true of like the, the drum kit. It’s still an electronic drum kit. So I can still play whenever even with the baby. It’s just, you know, and I was getting okay. Like, I went from very mediocre to. Okay, but that was a few months ago, so, I don’t know, I might I might be back to mediocre.
01:08:17:55 – 01:08:19:06
Agent Palmer
We’ll we’ll see.
01:08:19:10 – 01:08:25:57
Chris Maier
But, like, all things to, like you said, it ebbs and flows. Yeah. You make some progress, you fall back a bit, you make a little more progress.
01:08:26:02 – 01:08:37:28
Agent Palmer
The real key is, I and I, I this is this is how I know it’s been too long. Like, I have to. I have to trim my nails before I can play again.
01:08:37:33 – 01:08:37:56
Chris Maier
Dutch.
01:08:37:56 – 01:09:01:01
Agent Palmer
You know, it’s like, oh, it’s been way too long if I, if I, if I need to do that. But I’m getting there. I’m going to have to trim my nails soon because it’s like, I don’t want to mess up this fretboard and time to. Okay, well, let’s make some time. But it’s getting there. I, I, I have to I have to get the chops back up.
01:09:01:06 – 01:09:04:59
Chris Maier
Gotcha. Nice. Well, keep at it.
01:09:05:03 – 01:09:08:01
Agent Palmer
Yes. Like everything else.
–End Transcription–
This transcription was processed by PalmerTech 3.1 and may contain errors for HUMINT (human intelligence).