Episode 184 featuring the return of Alyssa LaBotz! She’s back to talk about her travels, which are documented on her YouTube Channel, as well as, storm chasing, being an aunt, how engaging in a culture means trying the food, and much much more.
Mentioned and Helpful Links from This Episode
Roaming with Alyssa: Horseback Ride from Hell?
Other Links
Alyssa’s first appearance: Alyssa Chooses Her Own Path
A Bookstore Took Me Out on a Date
The magazine article was better
An Avid Reader’s Guide to a Methodical Book Purge
Music created and provided by Henno Heitur of Monkey Tongue Productions.
–End Show Notes Transmission–
–Begin Transcription–
00:00:00:01 – 00:00:22:14
Agent Palmer
Previously on Agent Palmer. A bookstore took my wife on a date. Movies that were based on magazine articles. And if Mike has the ability to make time to write, you probably don’t have an excuse. This is The Palmer Files episode 184, featuring the return of Alyssa LaBotz. She’s back to talk about her travels, which are documented on her YouTube channel, as well as storm chasing being an aunt.
00:00:22:16 – 00:00:29:30
Agent Palmer
How engaging in culture means trying the food and much, much more. Are you ready? Let’s do the show.
00:00:29:35 – 00:00:38:22
Alyssa LaBotz
I want it to be useful to people. I mean, if people find it, like, funny or entertaining or whatever, that’s cool to.
00:00:38:27 – 00:00:47:17
Alyssa LaBotz
I feel like it’s part of experiencing a culture and a place is when you try the local foods.
00:00:47:22 – 00:00:54:07
Alyssa LaBotz
A film every time I go storm chasing. But I just haven’t posted them.
00:00:54:12 – 00:01:00:16
Alyssa LaBotz
It was an experience, so I’m glad I did it back then. I wouldn’t do it now.
00:01:00:21 – 00:01:08:01
Alyssa LaBotz
Probably one of my least favorite memories traveling ever. It was genuinely stressful and scary.
00:01:08:06 – 00:01:33:02
Agent Palmer
Hello and welcome to The Palmer Files. I’m your host, Jason Stershic, also known as Agent Palmer, and on this 184th episode is The Return of Alyssa LaBotz. I genuinely first met Alyssa on this podcast back on episode 144. Since then, we’ve been email pals staying in touch. And that’s how, aside from watching her YouTube channel roaming with Alyssa, I have stayed up to date with her travels, which we will get further into during this episode.
00:01:33:10 – 00:01:56:08
Agent Palmer
She also casually drops the she storm chases, which is not something I knew before, but we get into that because I had questions. Plus what her YouTube channel, the one that was fairly fallow during her last episode, is currently like. As far as shooting in production, her travels abroad and surviving a lack of food options, a horse ride from hell and just what is it actually like to chase storms?
00:01:56:13 – 00:02:14:41
Agent Palmer
All that and much, much more is coming your way shortly. But first, remember that if you want to discuss this episode as you listen or afterward, you can find all related ways to contact Alyssa and myself in the show notes. You can visit Alyssa’s website, the Boats media.com, or you can see her travel videos on YouTube at Roaming with Alyssa.
00:02:14:50 – 00:02:38:30
Agent Palmer
You can also check out her most excellent editing skills on Retro Days at YouTube.com. Retro days that’s RETRODAZE. Don’t forget, you can see all of my writings and rantings on Agent Palmer. And of course, email can be sent to the Palmer files at gmail.com. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
00:02:38:34 – 00:02:41:01
Agent Palmer
Alyssa. You are one of.
00:02:41:05 – 00:03:11:23
Agent Palmer
Three travel channels that are watched on a regular basis in this household, and since you have been putting out more regular content since the last time you were on this show, that’s, you know, you’re up there with, I’ll say the you’re up there with jet lag, the game and Michael downy downy live and you. Okay. Those are our three travel channel travel things we watch on a regular basis.
00:03:11:35 – 00:03:19:22
Alyssa LaBotz
Wow. Okay, well I’ve been I’m back down to posting, like, once every six weeks, so.
00:03:19:27 – 00:03:26:53
Agent Palmer
But but when you first came on, you were like, I don’t I don’t, I don’t, I don’t have time for me.
00:03:26:58 – 00:03:27:51
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:03:27:55 – 00:03:29:24
Agent Palmer
And so and it has changed.
00:03:29:39 – 00:03:49:11
Alyssa LaBotz
The case. I’m well I don’t know, I guess I go through like waves or something and I think it, I don’t know, sometimes certain videos, I know the amount of work it’s going to take to do it and then I just keep like putting it off. And so it’s like I think, yeah, I don’t know.
00:03:49:16 – 00:03:57:25
Agent Palmer
Well, so I want, I want to ask you about your videos because I want to know you’re in these places for a long time.
00:03:57:30 – 00:03:58:15
Alyssa LaBotz
Yes.
00:03:58:20 – 00:04:20:35
Agent Palmer
And it doesn’t feel like you’re shooting everything. So like how do you decide? Like, all right, today is a shooting day. And or like, today’s a me day. Like what? How do you determine that? Like you have. And I’m not I’m not being glib when I say this, but you have a YouTube channel. So like, in theory, you could shoot everything, but you clearly don’t like.
00:04:20:35 – 00:04:26:23
Agent Palmer
How do you decide when it’s time to take the camera out and when it’s time to leave it?
00:04:26:28 – 00:04:52:36
Alyssa LaBotz
I guess pretty much if I think something looks interesting, or if I’ve been kind of like exploring for a few days, and I’m starting to notice certain things and I’m like, okay, I want to go back and film that and get that on camera. And then there are certain things, like when I was in Kyrgyzstan and I did a lot of hiking, I had a lot of trouble finding, just like single day hikes.
00:04:52:36 – 00:05:13:47
Alyssa LaBotz
And so the ones that I did do them, like, okay, I’m going to film this because like, if I had trouble finding information, then probably other people are too. So this could be useful to somebody. So I don’t know. I don’t really have like a rhyme or reason. It’s kind of like if I think something looks interesting then I’ll film it and
00:05:13:51 – 00:05:41:55
Agent Palmer
Yeah, but well, but I, I bring it up because, I know like YouTuber is not your number one job. Yeah. But and, and you know, we’re in that age bracket where everybody needs a side hustle, but clearly you don’t feel the, crushing desire to film every second. And I appreciate that. I think it means that when you do film, you get you have a little bit more perspective than seeing it for the first time.
00:05:42:09 – 00:06:01:37
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, I think my goal when I film is to make sure that it’s I want it to be useful to people. I mean, if people find it like funny or entertaining or whatever, that’s cool too. But I try and film stuff where I feel like it could be something useful for somebody planning a trip to the same area.
00:06:01:37 – 00:06:24:33
Alyssa LaBotz
And I don’t know, a lot of times, like, honestly, I think I’m a lot of times I think I’m boring. And so I get like, funny about filming. And if I were to just do one of those, like vlog style, where I’m just filming all the time, I just, I don’t know, it feels like self-indulgent or something, and that people would just think it’s boring because I don’t know.
00:06:24:33 – 00:06:32:01
Alyssa LaBotz
I don’t want to just film all about myself and what I’m doing. I try to kind of come up with for each video.
00:06:32:13 – 00:06:40:37
Agent Palmer
Well, I mean, and you could tell you put some energy into this. It’s not you aren’t just shooting and releasing. Yeah.
00:06:40:46 – 00:06:41:56
Alyssa LaBotz
Definitely not.
00:06:42:08 – 00:06:52:17
Agent Palmer
When you do a lot in post. As far as narration, are you doing that while watching it back? Do you script it out? Are you writing it like.
00:06:52:19 – 00:07:14:17
Alyssa LaBotz
No, I, I really do not have a method there. I basically film and then afterwards I’m like, oh, I forgot to talk about this thing. And I didn’t say that. So I guess I’ll just narrate over. So that’s why there’s all this, like after the fact narration done. Because when I’m filming, I’m just I’m not happy.
00:07:14:27 – 00:07:24:10
Agent Palmer
Unless you’re going to be a straight on like, YouTuber, like you don’t, you’re going to have to make yourself like, if you’re really gonna talk that much all the time.
00:07:24:15 – 00:07:24:56
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:07:25:00 – 00:07:26:20
Agent Palmer
You don’t want to do that.
00:07:26:24 – 00:07:29:05
Alyssa LaBotz
No. Definitely not.
00:07:29:10 – 00:07:30:36
Agent Palmer
That takes away from being there.
00:07:30:38 – 00:07:50:32
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, exactly. That’s the other reason I don’t like to just film everything. Because first of all, it’s a lot of footage for me to go back through. And then second of all, I do try to be as present and enjoying things when I can, instead of just looking at everything through the view of a camera lens.
00:07:50:37 – 00:08:17:38
Agent Palmer
All right. So speaking of being there, unlike a lot of travelers I’m aware of and that I know, I think you, more than anyone I know personally, are open and willing to try local cuisine. Has this always been the thing? Like, have you always been like, I guess a food adventurous? I don’t know, like, I.
00:08:17:43 – 00:08:43:41
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, I mean, I’m, I was actually pretty picky eater when I was a kid. Like, I didn’t even like pizza or anything because I hated cheese. Like melted cheese into mato sauce. Like, I was pretty picky when I was younger. But I think as I’ve gotten older, I’m willing to try everything once as long. Like, I wouldn’t let you know if somebody gave me like Camel tongue or something, like I wouldn’t eat something like that.
00:08:43:41 – 00:08:59:12
Alyssa LaBotz
But for the most part, I am willing to try stuff and I’ve never gotten the stomach ache or anything. So yeah, I don’t know. I feel like it’s part of experiencing a culture in a place is when you try the local foods.
00:08:59:16 – 00:09:02:45
Agent Palmer
Well and you’re, is it vegan or vegetarian?
00:09:02:45 – 00:09:15:20
Alyssa LaBotz
I oh, I did used to be vegan, but I, I’m not strict vegetarian now. Like I’ll eat meat occasionally but it’s very rare. So I, I would say I’m like 90% of the time vegetarian.
00:09:15:23 – 00:09:34:38
Agent Palmer
So when you are in a Baltic country or Europe, like I don’t like, I, I only know from America, like we have a lot of vegans and vegetarians here. Do they like, is it easy to find food that fits within. You know, you’re not just eating a lot of meat.
00:09:34:50 – 00:09:58:15
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, it can be really hard. Like in Kyrgyzstan, for example, they have every like everything has meat stuff in it. And even like way back when I went to Vietnam, there was so many things with me in it. And we like, wrote down the word for vegetarian and like would show them at a place and they like did not get like, oh, you want it on the side.
00:09:58:15 – 00:10:16:50
Alyssa LaBotz
I’m like, no, no meat at all. Like there. So there are certain places where it can be really hard to find meat free food. But yeah, just it depends. And I think also that’s the reason why I do a lot of grocery store food and stuff, because then I can just control what I’m eating. Okay.
00:10:17:02 – 00:10:23:14
Agent Palmer
That makes sense. Now you’re working when you’re in these places because you can work from anywhere.
00:10:23:16 – 00:10:25:26
Alyssa LaBotz
Yes. If I have the Wi-Fi.
00:10:25:40 – 00:10:56:17
Agent Palmer
So how how is that? Because I think at least speaking from personal experience, like I have a look I, I have a I’m a dad most of the time now, but like when I do work, I go into my space like I go into my office like I’m, I have a routine and you’re out there traveling while you like and working like clearly it it changes your routine not only from time zones, but like where you are and where you’re working.
00:10:56:17 – 00:11:01:31
Agent Palmer
Like, has that is that an easy adjustment? Or is it now because you’ve done it?
00:11:01:35 – 00:11:25:48
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. I actually find it easier when I’m traveling alone, because when I’m at home, I have all these, like, other extra things I’m doing, and I don’t know when I’m when I’m traveling and I’m just for myself. It’s like when I’m working, I’m just focused on that. I don’t have other things to distract me. I don’t have, you know, family to visit.
00:11:25:48 – 00:11:51:59
Alyssa LaBotz
And it’s like I can have more time to just focus. And I do buffer in a lot of time when I’m traveling, like when people be like, oh yeah, you only need like one day to see this town or whatever, I’m like, okay, I’ll spend like a week there because I’ll like, explore for part of a day and then work the rest of the day or like, not even leave the apartment for an entire day and just spend that day working.
00:11:51:59 – 00:12:04:24
Alyssa LaBotz
So I’ve gotten pretty good at, like, knowing how much time I need to set aside so that I’m not feeling stressed about work, and that will also give me time to explore and stuff.
00:12:04:36 – 00:12:31:28
Agent Palmer
Now, on a normal day, let’s say on a weekend when my wife is watching the kid, which is technically my work day, if I need to take a break, I can go take a walk in my neighborhood and I know where I’m going. If you need to take a break and you’re in curry stand like, is it relaxing when you may not know where you’re going?
00:12:31:32 – 00:12:37:13
Agent Palmer
Or like, does it like you’ve done it enough now? Like it’s not as big a deal?
00:12:37:18 – 00:13:02:28
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, I wouldn’t say that. That’s the thing about when I travel, like it’s not a vacation. Like it’s never actually feels relaxing with traveling. So I don’t know. I think some people think I’m just like, you know, in La-La land vacationing. I’m like, okay, first of all, I’m working the whole time. Second of all, a lot of times I’m in stressful situations.
00:13:02:33 – 00:13:27:03
Alyssa LaBotz
And yeah, it’s not a relaxing thing, but I do enjoy it. So, you know, I, I don’t know, I yeah, I don’t just like go out for a walk to relax because there is a lot of like stimulation and things going on. And I guess when I want just to veg out day when I’m traveling, it’s like sitting in my Airbnb and watching YouTube channels or something.
00:13:27:07 – 00:13:32:38
Agent Palmer
That’s fine, that’s fine. You do. You do a lot of travel abroad, let’s say.
00:13:32:53 – 00:13:33:19
Alyssa LaBotz
00:13:33:31 – 00:13:44:09
Agent Palmer
Is there any like American travel that we will see on the channel at any point like within the States.
00:13:44:14 – 00:14:13:02
Alyssa LaBotz
I mean pretty much the only time I have done stuff on my channel that’s within the US is my storm chasing videos, but I haven’t done those in a couple of years now. Like I film every time I go storm chasing, but I just haven’t posted them. And I do have a lot of footage from like exploring the Midwest and stuff, but I just, I don’t know, I haven’t got around to editing that in the last couple of years.
00:14:13:07 – 00:14:25:11
Agent Palmer
So like, all right, we’ll we’ll pause all of the travel stuff for like when did you get into storm chasing? Because that feels like a, like where did you you didn’t grow up in the Midwest?
00:14:25:14 – 00:14:28:23
Alyssa LaBotz
No. Yeah. I’ve been in California my whole life.
00:14:28:25 – 00:14:38:08
Agent Palmer
But outside of earthquakes, which is not a thing you chase, right? Like what? When do you get the bug to be like, I’m gonna go. I’m gonna go chase the works.
00:14:38:13 – 00:14:59:04
Alyssa LaBotz
Well, it was actually my dad who had the bug. He’s been talking about it my whole life. And so this was actually our 14th year doing it. So 14 years ago, me and my sister were like, dad, you’ve always been talking about this. Like, why don’t we go try it and do it, you know, see how it is?
00:14:59:07 – 00:15:09:42
Alyssa LaBotz
And then we all three of us became hooked on it. So we kind of did it for my dad, but then fell in love with it ourselves. So yeah.
00:15:09:47 – 00:15:25:27
Agent Palmer
And like, all right, so what let’s say we’re having dinner at like a dinner party, like, do you have a go to storm chasing story that like, when people find out and they’re like, so. So tell me something like, do you have a go to.
00:15:25:32 – 00:15:29:07
Alyssa LaBotz
No.
00:15:29:12 – 00:15:52:04
Alyssa LaBotz
I don’t yeah, I don’t know. It’s the thing about it is that it’s so every year, even though we’re chasing in the same states and a lot of times going through the same towns and stuff, it’s so wildly different from year to year. So I don’t know, I have way too many stories. Like I don’t have just one go to one, I don’t know.
00:15:52:13 – 00:16:07:05
Alyssa LaBotz
So usually when people ask about it, they’re just like, wait, you mean like tornadoes? Like the movie twister? I’m like, yeah, yeah, but not really, because not movie’s extremely fake, but. So I don’t know.
00:16:07:07 – 00:16:16:02
Agent Palmer
How close are you getting? I mean, we can use twister as the example, like you’re not trying to get in a tornado. No.
00:16:16:07 – 00:16:45:51
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. Safety’s always the first priority. But, I mean, as close as we can get, like, ideally within a mile or something. If, you know, you know, if you’re on the right side of it and you know where it’s going, you can get pretty close safely. If it’s a large one, obviously you don’t want flying debris and stuff, but if it’s like a nice clean one just out in a field, you can get pretty close.
00:16:45:51 – 00:17:06:26
Alyssa LaBotz
So I don’t know, in the moment I’m not like because we have like a radar thing where we can drag the little thing to see how close we are to it. I can’t visually like gauge how close I am, but in the moment I’ve never actually done it to see how close I get. But we try to get within like a few miles if we can.
00:17:06:28 – 00:17:39:02
Agent Palmer
So I edited a podcast for, the Iowa League of Cities, and so I, I, I tend to when they’re talking about stuff because I’ve never been to Iowa. I’ll go map Iowa. Yeah. And unlike here in the northeast, you know, where I’ve lived my whole life, roads in Iowa and the Midwest or the very like the actual middle of the country, not the what we call the Midwest are very, angular.
00:17:39:07 – 00:17:57:58
Agent Palmer
They’re very square. Like, if you want to go to there, you have to go across and down or down and across like that’s just the way it works. So like, is that is that like and I, I’ve not seen every map of that part of the country, but it seems like that’s the way the rest, that part of the country built, there’s farms in between.
00:17:57:58 – 00:18:06:34
Agent Palmer
They’re all squared like go around is that, is that, is that reality like, is it like we want to get there. But there’s two ways to get there. And you know.
00:18:06:36 – 00:18:36:06
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, it’s actually it depends on where you are because there are certain areas where there’s like long stretches of just diagonal roads going diagonal. And I love the grid network of like in Kansas and Iowa and stuff that where it’s like everywhere there’s a grid, you can go north, south, east or west like that is so ideal for storm chasing because you’re constantly having to maneuver.
00:18:36:06 – 00:18:58:19
Alyssa LaBotz
And if you’re in an area where there’s long stretches of only like north south roads or diagonally one way, it’s really hard to get into place. And it can like make the whole chase. And basically if you’re not able to maneuver into the right spot. So I love the grids in the Midwest when there are one.
00:18:58:28 – 00:19:03:47
Agent Palmer
So who’s are you? Are you a driver when you when you or do you all rotate?
00:19:03:50 – 00:19:28:17
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, we rotate the last. Let’s see this year. And last year was the first time where it was just me and my dad. So we take turns. A lot of times he does the bulk of the driving, but we take turns driving because we put thousands of miles on the car in just those few weeks. So it’s nice to be able to split it up between a couple people.
00:19:28:22 – 00:20:07:10
Agent Palmer
Now, you’re not just looking for tornadoes, because obviously that’s very specific. But I and I, I have a general idea of, of of storm chasing, beyond the movie twister. And I believe there’s, you’re also looking for, like, shelves and, like, thunderstorms, like other kinds of things. So if you go out, as long as you see some weather phenomenon, like you’re, you know, you don’t need a full on tornado to call it a success for the day.
00:20:07:15 – 00:20:34:06
Alyssa LaBotz
Yes, absolutely. Like if I can just see some nice structure like, you know, wall cloud, shelf cloud rotation, my favorite is lightning. Like, I actually rather watch lightning than a tornado. Tornadoes are very cool, but they’re not that common. And, lightning just blows my mind every time I see it. If there’s, like, incredible lightning, I could just sit there and watch it for hours.
00:20:34:11 – 00:20:51:05
Alyssa LaBotz
Like, that is the thing that gets me excited. So, yeah, it doesn’t have to be a tornado if there’s, you know, if it’s beautiful and you get some nice lightning, some nice structure, some of that turquoise color in the sky, that’s I will happily take that.
00:20:51:14 – 00:20:53:26
Agent Palmer
14 years. Do you go out once a year?
00:20:53:41 – 00:21:23:29
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. Okay. This year I went out twice, I did, I went late April, which was horrible. It was probably the most dead weather I’ve had in those 14 years. And then, it was so unsatisfying. I had to go back out in the early June. So I went out for six days, and that was really fun because we were up in the Northern Plains, like up in South Dakota and Nebraska, and it’s just really beautiful to chase up there.
00:21:23:29 – 00:21:28:29
Alyssa LaBotz
So I got my fill, made up for that horrible time in April.
00:21:28:43 – 00:21:55:08
Agent Palmer
So let’s say that the movie twisters, probably most people’s introduction to storm chasing, right, like that. I mean, that’s what’s the number one thing, like, okay, I think I want to try this. I know it’s probably dangerous, but I want to go. Alyssa, you’re gonna make a useful storm chasing one on one video. Like, what’s the first thing you want to tell people?
00:21:55:13 – 00:22:15:48
Alyssa LaBotz
I would say that you need to know how to read the radar, because that is a big one. So there’s like that app called Radar Scope, and it’s what all the chasers use. Even the professionals have been doing this way longer than me. They all use radar scopes. So you have to know how to do that.
00:22:15:48 – 00:22:44:20
Alyssa LaBotz
And then I would say the second biggest thing is knowing how to navigate yourself into a safe position, because you really have to be aware of the roads and know that you can have like an escape route if you need to think. Those are the two biggest things. Never want to get trapped on some like dirt road with a hail bomb coming toward you or a tornado that is.
00:22:44:27 – 00:22:47:15
Alyssa LaBotz
That would be like worst case scenario.
00:22:47:27 – 00:22:58:07
Agent Palmer
Now, when you’re out there, are you chasing as long as the sun’s up? Like how did because obviously you would see a lot of lightning at night, but that’s all you’re going to see.
00:22:58:12 – 00:23:25:17
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. So a lot of the storms actually sometimes they’ll fire up early, but usually they do not start really going until like 7 to 8:00. So when they’re, you know, really starting to form stuff. So a lot of times yeah, it’s like chasing until evening until last night. Sometimes you if there’s a lot of lightning, there are people who knight Chase.
00:23:25:17 – 00:23:49:21
Alyssa LaBotz
I don’t enjoy doing that. But you basically have to rely on the flashes of the lightning to illuminate the sky. And then if you see structure or tornado through those lightning flashes, there are people who do that. But I like once it gets dark, I’m like, I don’t like this. I don’t want to do that. So yeah, it’s just until the sun goes down.
00:23:49:23 – 00:24:10:14
Agent Palmer
So I want to skip to logistics for a second because you’re following the radar wherever you’re going. And then the sun goes down and your chase is over. Where are you sleeping? Like, and and where you figure, like, is there a home base? Are we not like, what are we sleeping in the car like what is what’s the like?
00:24:10:17 – 00:24:38:30
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. It’s, it really depends. Like this last week or whenever I was in South Dakota, there are huge stretches of, like, land in road between towns. And then there might be a town nearby, but the hotels are disgusting. And so it’s like, well, now we have to drive two hours to get to the closest decent hotel. So it really depends on where you end up.
00:24:38:34 – 00:25:04:02
Alyssa LaBotz
When we were in our 20s and we would do this, we like when we first started doing it, we camped a lot. We’d bring a tent and like basically camp almost the whole time and we would even, like sleep in the car in the Walmart parking lot. We when we first started, we heard that people do that like not storm chasers, just people can sleep in the Walmart parking lot like that.
00:25:04:02 – 00:25:28:03
Alyssa LaBotz
Sounds like so crazy and cool. Let’s do it. And so we we thought it was fun back then. Now I would never do it because I want like my bed and my shower, my Wi-Fi. But back then we did it and I’m glad it was an experience. So I’m glad I did it back then. I wouldn’t do it now, but yeah, back in the day we would do the car, we would camp.
00:25:28:07 – 00:25:38:26
Alyssa LaBotz
Now it’s hotels. Even if that means, you know, having to drive two hours and get in somewhere at 11 at night. Like I need a clean hotel.
00:25:38:26 – 00:26:05:39
Agent Palmer
So is that as as you’ve gotten older is what would have been more allure. Hey. Of course. Let’s drive another two. I remember my 20s, two hours in a car, throwing some music, grab some coffee somewhere and get going. I want I think I, I mean, I, I’m, I’m, I’m going back in my own brain, but I feel like once I hit 30, the appeal of that would get lost.
00:26:05:39 – 00:26:17:55
Agent Palmer
And now that I’m in my 40s, it’s like, I don’t. None of this sounds appealing at all. So, like, what? What is that kind of this? Does that track for you?
00:26:18:00 – 00:26:40:05
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, I think a lot of it too has to do with, like, my eyes, like at nighttime. The headlights and stuff at night are so hard on my eyes. And so being in the car at night, it’s like those two hour drives and stuff. It does get tiring. I mean, that’s like an extreme scenario to have to drive that far.
00:26:40:05 – 00:27:00:47
Alyssa LaBotz
But it is basically like once it gets dark out and stuff, I’m just I want to eat my dinner. I want to get into a room like I have work to do. And yeah, it’s just, I don’t know, I don’t even I don’t feel like I’m that old. But I know my body, as I’ve gotten older is like reminding me of that.
00:27:01:02 – 00:27:13:16
Alyssa LaBotz
It’s like I, I get tired easier. My eyes feel strange, easier. Yeah, it does get harder, but it’s still. It’s worth it.
00:27:13:16 – 00:27:25:53
Agent Palmer
So how’s the food? Across the middle of the country as you’re, you know, not eating well, you’re eating a little bit more meat now, but like, that’s that’s barbecue. That’s beef and barbecue. Country. Like what.
00:27:25:56 – 00:27:27:27
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:27:27:31 – 00:27:31:36
Agent Palmer
Is it easy to find stuff to eat for you, especially on the road?
00:27:31:41 – 00:28:04:12
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. Basically I just, go to Walmart practically every day and buy food there because the some of the grocery stores are they don’t have good selection. And then, yeah, it is a lot of meat stuff, like if you’re eating at restaurants, sometimes we’ll get barbecue if it’s like really looks like a good place. But usually I get a microwave meal at Walmart for my dinner and pop it in the hotel microwave and that is that.
00:28:04:12 – 00:28:17:43
Alyssa LaBotz
So I pretty simple when I’m like, oh, rice cakes and peanut butter for snack, eat the hotel breakfast. And that’s kind of my meal for like three weeks while we’re on the road.
00:28:17:48 – 00:28:32:06
Agent Palmer
But you’re also eating like you’re you need snacks along the way. Again, long stretches. You don’t know where you’re next. Civilization is, I guess. Is that is that the word to use?
00:28:32:11 – 00:28:56:26
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, it’s kind of like, stock up when you can because you don’t know, first of all, where you’re going to end up that night if there’s going to be any food around. So yeah, it’s kind of like if there’s like Aldie or Walmart or whatever, just stock up on stuff so you have food on hand. But this year was a on top of my gallbladder issues.
00:28:56:26 – 00:29:14:15
Alyssa LaBotz
I have an insufficient issue. So I was on this very strict elimination diet. So it made it extremely hard this year when I was chasing because I could basically nothing. So I think I just came home a few pounds lighter.
00:29:14:20 – 00:29:29:24
Agent Palmer
I don’t I don’t know that that’s, a the best. Weight loss, but, you know, like, it’s, it’s one of those things like you hear people say like, oh, I felt really bad. I had a stomach virus, but I did lose 5 pounds, so it’s like. Yeah.
00:29:29:29 – 00:29:55:30
Agent Palmer
You know, not the greatest, but, So aside from your travel around the world and you’re storm chasing, you know, there are any other wouldn’t call the travel extreme. But you do immerse yourself, which is more extreme than most tourists, I will say. Yeah. And the storm chasing is extreme. Are are these the extreme, parts of Alyssa?
00:29:55:42 – 00:30:01:15
Agent Palmer
Is that or is that or are you or are you jumping out of planes and not. We just haven’t gotten to it yet.
00:30:01:20 – 00:30:10:07
Alyssa LaBotz
Know that, like the storm chasing and the traveling, those things don’t even feel extreme. But jumping out of a plane would feel very extreme.
00:30:10:10 – 00:30:11:53
Agent Palmer
Okay.
00:30:11:58 – 00:30:36:20
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. I mean, that’s pretty much the most extreme thing I have going on when I’m at home. I’m just like Mrs. Boring, like just working. And, I spend a lot of time with my nephew now because he lives just a few miles away. So that’s like, basically what I do when I’m not traveling is like, do the mundane life.
00:30:36:25 – 00:30:39:58
Agent Palmer
Well, first of all, kids are not mundane.
00:30:40:03 – 00:30:40:32
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:30:40:41 – 00:31:04:57
Agent Palmer
That’s it’s not, it’s not let’s not no illusions here. Right. Like, that’s not that’s not what I would use to describe kids. Children. Mine’s my mom. Mine is, you know, 17 months, 16 months, 15, whatever it is. But there’s a four year old next door who says the craziest stuff, like, I’m just so I. I mean, I know that at least for the next four.
00:31:05:04 – 00:31:26:22
Agent Palmer
And who knows, right? So, like, not mundane. Like, that’s just not. I mean, so I’m a parent. Have you enjoyed the spoiling aspect of being an aunt? Because I think that’s that’s aunts and uncles, like maybe even more so than grandparents, aunts and uncles. Are you you you’re the spoilers.
00:31:26:27 – 00:31:48:23
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. I, I don’t know that I spoil him necessarily, but I spent a lot of time with him and it’s been really fun. Like, I was kind of nervous when I found out that my sister was having a boy, because we’re very much like a girl family. And I was like, I don’t know what I’m gonna do with, like, a little boy, I don’t know.
00:31:48:23 – 00:32:12:34
Alyssa LaBotz
But the second I met him, we just like. I mean, he just felt like he was part of the family. And he is he is a very strong personality. So it’s really fun to be with him because he just. I don’t know, it’s like he’s his own person from day one and he’s funny and smart and cute, and I just like to hold him all the time and squish him.
00:32:12:34 – 00:32:16:29
Alyssa LaBotz
But he’s very active, so he doesn’t want me to do that.
00:32:16:33 – 00:32:37:37
Agent Palmer
Look, I’m just saying, I, I feel like in my, in my teens, if I had an aunt who was willing to take me storm chasing, I probably would have done it. Yeah. I’m just, you know, I mean, you you may have a new passenger. Yeah. Upcoming at some point.
00:32:37:39 – 00:32:45:03
Alyssa LaBotz
I think. So. I think he would totally be up for that. He’s pretty fearless and adventurous, so.
00:32:45:05 – 00:33:13:16
Agent Palmer
Oh, no, that’s all like, I, I’ve, I, you know, and look, I’m going to say something and I’m not I’m not trying to be mean, but like, I very much try to engage other parents as humans and not just parents. So I do ask them, like other things. And I know that Steph and I make an effort to do non parent things.
00:33:13:27 – 00:33:41:55
Agent Palmer
We try and watch our own things or read real books instead of children’s books. And like we, you know, we watched you like, well, I mean we watched you with the kid, but like we try and watch other things on YouTube or on TV or whatever. And so I try and engage parents as, as other humans so they don’t look, all parents are willing to talk about their kids, but I want to give them the option not to.
00:33:41:59 – 00:34:08:43
Agent Palmer
But a lot of parents don’t make quite the effort to do non kid things as Steph and I do. So we inevitably just talk about our kids, and one of the things that comes up over and over and over again is that, you know, you know, in the first couple of years there’s a lack of self preservation that they exhibit.
00:34:08:58 – 00:34:38:32
Agent Palmer
And that’s not boys or girls, that’s just every child under the age of three will find a way to hurt themselves. And it’s your job to make sure they don’t. Yeah. But like after they get all over that threshold and self-preservation is still a thing, then we go in, then we move. We graduate from having a lack of self-preservation to true, fearless confidence.
00:34:38:37 – 00:34:50:22
Agent Palmer
And that’s what I see in my neighbor’s kid. And so I’m like, oh, that’s coming. Yeah. I’m looking like I get to look next door and go, that’s my future.
00:34:50:34 – 00:34:51:48
Alyssa LaBotz
Into the future.
00:34:51:50 – 00:35:19:32
Agent Palmer
My future. That’s that’s what it is. So yeah, it’s, yeah, I, I don’t know, and I, I just. Where are we? We stay away from our cell phones and we get the grandparents off their cell phones. We’re like, we’re, you know, I if if I’ve done my job right, when I do have a four year old, I don’t care if the people at daycare or at kindergarten or school or whatever.
00:35:19:32 – 00:35:33:53
Agent Palmer
It is all all know how to use phones. If my kid doesn’t, I feel like I’ve won. That’s what I’m aiming for right now. You know, watch as much TV as you want, but stay off the phone.
00:35:33:57 – 00:35:55:30
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, my my sister is pretty strict about that too. Like she won’t. First of all, they haven’t owned a TV in like three years or more. So they don’t even have one at home. And like, she does not want him looking at any screens. Like if even if there’s like one of those, you know, what the TV like, pulls up kind of just a generic image.
00:35:55:32 – 00:36:08:03
Alyssa LaBotz
If you stop, like it’s like a fish tank scene or whatever. She’s like, I don’t want auto looking at that. Like, don’t, don’t let him look at that. And then, yeah, if I’m on my phone, she’s like, oh, I was looking at you, get off your phone. I’m like, oh.
00:36:08:07 – 00:36:27:45
Agent Palmer
I’ve done that to the grandparents. In fact, I yelled at my mother and she’s like, because my mother and I went on an adventure with the kid, the three of us. And of course, you know, on the way out, she sat up front like a normal adult, and then she’s like, yeah, I’m gonna get in the back with the kid.
00:36:27:49 – 00:36:42:13
Agent Palmer
Like, I want to hang out with my grandkids. Like, yeah, I, I’ve known you for your whole life. What is it? Well, I’m going to get it back. And so she’s she’s on her phone and I see her on her phone and I’m like, what are you doing? She’s like.
00:36:42:15 – 00:36:42:58
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:36:43:03 – 00:37:06:49
Agent Palmer
All right. The passenger next to me is passed out. It’s fine. I was like, well, I don’t know. You know, we’re still design. We’re we’re still in rear facing car seat mode. And I was like, all right. I don’t, you know, so I just yeah, it’s. But did you have any expectations being an aunt and being around a kid at all?
00:37:06:52 – 00:37:07:11
Agent Palmer
Like.
00:37:07:13 – 00:37:27:48
Alyssa LaBotz
No, I don’t, I don’t know, I think I was, I think I was nervous maybe that I would be awkward with him because I’ve never been a kids person and I like, don’t want kids of my own. So I’m like and I like, kind of didn’t like kids. Like I feel bad saying that. But I was like, just there are kids.
00:37:27:53 – 00:37:33:36
Agent Palmer
There are no, but there are kids people, and there are not kids people. That’s yeah, I don’t.
00:37:33:38 – 00:37:56:23
Alyssa LaBotz
I know. And so I was like, I don’t know. This is going to be like, I knew I’d obviously love him because he’s my nephew and stuff. But yeah, it’s been there hasn’t been any weird feeling at all. Like it was like instant connection in love with him. So it’s I guess it was better than I expected I was worried about.
00:37:56:37 – 00:38:11:24
Agent Palmer
So that means that while you may say you’re Miss Boring when you’re not traveling and storm chasing, there is a little chaos ball in your life.
00:38:11:29 – 00:38:14:02
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. Yes.
00:38:14:07 – 00:38:17:04
Agent Palmer
So I don’t think things are boring for you know.
00:38:17:09 – 00:38:38:01
Alyssa LaBotz
That is true. Yeah. And as he gets older, it’s getting more so like he’s getting it. I mean, it’s like walking everything. Anytime he has a little bit more like independence where he can do things on his own, he just like runs with it. And. Yeah. Yeah, he’s, he’s very active.
00:38:38:10 – 00:38:56:00
Agent Palmer
You feel. And I only ask this because you aren’t the parent, but, like, you’re around enough. Do you feel like watching the development, you’re like, I take it a little bit of that for granted. Like, I know that, like, I can walk. I have pretty good balance.
00:38:56:05 – 00:38:57:50
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:38:57:55 – 00:39:20:58
Agent Palmer
I’m, I’m, I’m holding a kid’s hand that feels like, I don’t know, are they walking on the moon? Like, what’s going on? Like there’s a, there’s an amount of like, but like, I, I, I mean, I take, I take that for granted, I assume I, I, I can talk and you know, I, I can drink without choking. Like there are, there are things that we take for granted.
00:39:21:05 – 00:39:26:24
Agent Palmer
And I just go like, oh, maybe, maybe I should be more.
00:39:26:29 – 00:39:27:22
Agent Palmer
Careful about.
00:39:27:24 – 00:40:04:34
Alyssa LaBotz
I know I don’t, I don’t know that I feel necessarily that way, but it has been very interesting to see, like, I guess I don’t know, just to see how like little kids develop and stuff. It’s obviously, you know, all this stuff, you know, in your head like, oh, they learn to walk and they’re unsteady. But it’s, it is really interesting to see like up close that development and, and just even to see like when he, when he sees something new or he’s figuring something out, it’s like you can just really see those wheels turning in the brain.
00:40:04:34 – 00:40:27:59
Alyssa LaBotz
And it’s it is very interesting to just think about their development and like their cognitive growth and stuff like, because you can just see it on I mean, I’m assuming it’s like this with every kid, but I just, you know, with auto, I know for sure, like just seeing it in he’s just thinking and learning and absorbing everything.
00:40:27:59 – 00:40:38:30
Alyssa LaBotz
And it is crazy to see like they come out fresh out of the womb and they’re learning all these things. And that it has been very interesting. I think that.
00:40:38:32 – 00:41:11:25
Agent Palmer
I think it helps that it’s my pick for them though, like, I’m, I, I obviously it’s intrinsic the, the either the bottle or the breast, whatever it is that’s intrinsic. But everything else, it’s like they focus on a thing. So whatever it is and you and I as an example, like if somebody were to throw in something brand new to us, we have all this other stuff to compare it to for like little shortcuts and stuff.
00:41:11:30 – 00:41:34:29
Agent Palmer
Like if, if I were to walk in heels, which I think I did once in my life, I’ve walked before. Right. Like I know that I could probably pull this off. It’s slightly different. They’ve never walked before like they don’t have any. I’m going to tell this story. The reason my mother and I went out was to get shoes, because based on the seasons.
00:41:34:29 – 00:42:01:32
Agent Palmer
And you know how old? Like we’re walking. Of course we’re walking, but we’re walking inside. We don’t need shoes. Yeah. So we’re like, but it’s it’s warming up. We’re walking. Let’s get outside. Let’s get shoes. Steph put the shoes on. And the kid was sitting down and she picks the kid up standing up. But as soon as the shoes hit the floor, standing up with shoes on.
00:42:01:32 – 00:42:27:01
Agent Palmer
Now. Screams screams screams screams. And I was like, oh, this might have been a mistake. Like, I don’t know. Well, like I and again, I wear shoes. You wear shoes like, but I don’t like, I don’t know whatever. And now it’s fine. It’s a week and a half later as we’re recording two weeks later, whatever it is, we’re fine.
00:42:27:06 – 00:42:45:32
Agent Palmer
We can we can walk in shoes now. But that first time, it’s just like, what did you do? Like I didn’t put and look, a friend of I was telling a friend of mine this story and I was like, it was like watching somebody walk with cement shoes. Yeah. And he goes, I don’t know if everybody will get that reference.
00:42:45:36 – 00:42:53:55
Agent Palmer
And I was like, it’s okay, maybe not. But still, like, that’s the only way you can describe it. Yeah. And it’s like, all right, okay.
00:42:54:02 – 00:43:14:01
Alyssa LaBotz
That’s how it was the first time she put shoes on him. He like it was like he couldn’t even figure out how to watch. Like he kept tripping and falling over and they weren’t. It’s not like they were these big, clunky shoes, but it was still like he it was so foreign to him because he’s just been barefoot up until a week ago.
00:43:14:06 – 00:43:15:20
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:15:23 – 00:43:18:27
Agent Palmer
So I again we take things for granted.
00:43:18:30 – 00:43:19:01
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:43:19:10 – 00:43:45:38
Agent Palmer
It’s it’s it’s what it is. Speaking of taking things for granted, I want to get back to your day job for a second, okay? When you do a good job editing, people don’t notice. Maybe the people that sent you all the footage, but other people that are watching it don’t notice. That’s the that’s the purpose. And and I, I, I, I mean, I don’t mean to pull back the curtain or the phone booth or whatever the, you know, recording, equivalent of this is.
00:43:45:40 – 00:44:08:39
Agent Palmer
But like, when I do a good job editing, you’re not supposed to know if, like, that’s the whole. That’s kind of the point. So how do you know? Like you’re getting it across. No notes. Is is good news like, is that is that the because I, I don’t I you know in fairness I’m a one man show in almost everything I do so I don’t.
00:44:08:43 – 00:44:32:42
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah I think I, I mean yeah it is kind of like no notes is is good. I mean I’m 100%, you know, if somebody was like, oh can you change that? Or I think he needs to be more like this or whatever. I’m totally fine with that. But for the most part, people just kind of let me do my thing and they’re like, great, thanks.
00:44:32:49 – 00:44:54:17
Alyssa LaBotz
And I there have been some creative things like, I don’t know, working on a logo animation from scratch where it’s like you kind of go back and forth and they you get their feedback. But a lot of times, especially for people that I’ve worked with for a long time, they kind of know my style and I know what they like.
00:44:54:17 – 00:45:01:28
Alyssa LaBotz
And so yeah, it’s like if if they don’t say anything, it’s just like, okay, I guess it guess it was good.
00:45:01:31 – 00:45:14:11
Agent Palmer
So do you do you like that collaboration or do you very much want to be? I don’t mean this in a mean way, but do you want to be, like, left alone to do the work?
00:45:14:15 – 00:45:44:47
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. I mean, I do like, I do like to be allowed to do the work, but I don’t mind the collaboration like I do. There are certain things where I do like the feedback just to know I’m on the right track and stuff, but if it’s something that I feel confident about or like I said, like been, you know, working with somebody for a long time, like that’s probably one of the reasons I like video editing is because it’s kind of it can tend to be a solo thing that I just like.
00:45:44:50 – 00:45:56:44
Alyssa LaBotz
I do my work and there’s some collaboration here and there, communication. But for the most part, I kind of left, left to myself. So I do like that.
00:45:56:49 – 00:46:14:21
Agent Palmer
So. So does that mean when you switch to doing roaming with Alyssa? It’s not a like it’s not a problem because you’re like, this is just now I’m just working for myself and I’m still don’t bother me like it’s fine. Like I don’t need I don’t need notes. Do you give yourself notes.
00:46:14:26 – 00:46:37:27
Alyssa LaBotz
I don’t I. It’s the thing for me about my roaming with Alyssa is that I. Well, I want to do a good job, but I also don’t put it does take me a lot of time to do those videos, but I don’t put so much effort into it because I’m like, I don’t get a dime for doing. It’s like I don’t get any money for it.
00:46:37:27 – 00:46:59:24
Alyssa LaBotz
And I the whole reason I started posting stuff on there is basically so my family can see my travels and like if other people see it or find it useful, I’m like cool. And if they don’t, I’m like, it’s just it’s fun for me to do, you know, my own videos and my own style and to show my family what I did on my trip.
00:46:59:24 – 00:47:15:37
Alyssa LaBotz
And I don’t know, I yeah, I don’t put so much pressure, effort into it that I’m like, you know, trying to make it perfect or stressing about it. It’s kind of like creative thing for me.
00:47:15:42 – 00:47:24:41
Agent Palmer
So, so I need to ask about a very specific episode. And you do this a lot. The food, the food, the food episodes. The taste test episodes.
00:47:24:44 – 00:47:25:36
Alyssa LaBotz
Yes.
00:47:25:41 – 00:47:49:35
Agent Palmer
When I do a solo episode as an example, that’s the heaviest editing I, I ever do. I like this episode. If it was the same length, but it was just me. Trying to read from a script would take five times longer to edit than this conversation between you and me. When you are doing your taste test, it’s just you and the camera.
00:47:49:40 – 00:47:53:54
Agent Palmer
Are those longer because it’s just you and the camera?
00:47:53:59 – 00:48:24:04
Alyssa LaBotz
No, they’re actually not the the taste testing ones are probably the easiest for me to edit because I’m just like editing my reaction to the food and I it’s a lot of clipping out, like dead space in me, just like chewing on the camera for five minutes. And so those ones aren’t that bad. The ones that take me the longest are like where I’m trying to tell a story of something that happened, but I didn’t get footage of it or record enough.
00:48:24:04 – 00:48:31:40
Alyssa LaBotz
And so then I’m like, scrambling for some kind of b roll to go over it. And those takes so long.
00:48:31:44 – 00:48:37:22
Agent Palmer
That takes longer than like the, the road travel ones where like you have. Yeah. Okay.
00:48:37:30 – 00:48:51:46
Alyssa LaBotz
And the videos where I’m like breaking down the costs of things and just going over logistics like those. Man, those ones take so long. Did you see the, the one I did about the horseback ride from hell?
00:48:51:48 – 00:48:52:43
Agent Palmer
Yes I did.
00:48:52:46 – 00:48:57:55
Alyssa LaBotz
That one took so long because I had like no footage of. It’s like.
00:48:58:00 – 00:49:12:20
Agent Palmer
Well, the way you describe it, I can’t imagine you whipping out your phone to just be like, I would like to document this, people. I will link link in the show notes. You you can go watch. It might be Alice’s worst birthday ever.
00:49:12:28 – 00:49:18:37
Alyssa LaBotz
It was for sure. I was pissed after that.
00:49:18:42 – 00:49:33:31
Agent Palmer
But you were I. I have to give you credit for you. Were you were willing to try. I’m sure with enough yelling or crying, you could have turned around at some point if you really needed to.
00:49:33:33 – 00:49:53:30
Alyssa LaBotz
I think it was one of those things where by the time we got so far along into the horseback ride that I realized we’re not even close to the valley floor yet, it was like to turn around and go back through all of that. I don’t know, I think I was just hoping we’d be down there eventually and it was not happening.
00:49:53:30 – 00:49:56:58
Alyssa LaBotz
So I don’t know. That was. Yeah.
00:49:57:03 – 00:50:07:39
Agent Palmer
Is that is that bar none and what’s on camera and what hasn’t made camera, is that the scariest thing of all of the travel stuff?
00:50:07:43 – 00:50:09:15
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. Yes.
00:50:09:19 – 00:50:09:46
Agent Palmer
Okay.
00:50:09:48 – 00:50:18:33
Alyssa LaBotz
That was that was like adrenaline, cortisol whatever up here for like three hours straight. That was pretty bad.
00:50:18:38 – 00:50:39:32
Agent Palmer
So, I mean, first of all, this is a podcast. Everybody pause, go watch the video and then come back. And then this question will make a lot more sense. How did you come down from that? Like what did you do to decompress after you got back. Like did you just sleep it off? Did you drink it off like.
00:50:39:37 – 00:51:01:21
Alyssa LaBotz
That was. Yeah, it was actually took me probably like four days to I just thought about it nonstop like four days. And then I like how to break down and cried. And then I was like, it was. It was really like, that’s the thing about the video I cannot get across, like how stressful and scary it was. And no.
00:51:01:23 – 00:51:27:53
Agent Palmer
Because even post when you’re recording it, I know I’ve talked to you. We’ve, we’ve we’ve communicated back and forth. This is not your first time on the show. So I’m, I’m listening to this in post going. I can hear a little bit of like the tension coming back. Yeah. But I, you can’t hear the actual tension, nor do I think I would want to, but like, it’s there.
00:51:27:55 – 00:51:29:43
Agent Palmer
It’s still in the video though.
00:51:29:51 – 00:52:04:08
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. It I don’t know. And then yeah, I got back to the place and it was like, you know, not that clean of a place. The bathroom smell like sewage because we’re like out in this tiny village. So it’s like not relaxing. Not a good way to, like, decompress and come down after that. I think it was like once I left that place and got to my Airbnb and, like, could relax a little bit, it kind of, I don’t know, it was just that was just one of probably one of my least favorite memories traveling ever.
00:52:04:10 – 00:52:07:12
Alyssa LaBotz
It was genuinely stressful and scary.
00:52:07:15 – 00:52:36:25
Agent Palmer
So this is going to be the dumbest question I ask. But having said what you just said about it being your least favorite memory, having your least favorite memory documented, and then you edited and narrated over it. Does it like now it’s a memento for you, I guess. So like it? It are we? You and I are laughing now, but that’s just because of where we’re like.
00:52:36:30 – 00:52:57:38
Agent Palmer
Like we’re officially past. You can laugh at this now. Like, I mean, there is a lot of, And I give you credit, there’s a lot of therapy that’s going to happen in, in the process. Like that already happened when you were editing that the what you did have together and putting together your audio and finding your B-roll like you relived it a few times already.
00:52:57:38 – 00:53:04:16
Agent Palmer
So, I mean, or are we passed it or are you never getting on a horse ever again?
00:53:04:21 – 00:53:33:29
Alyssa LaBotz
Because I still, I mean, even just thinking about it right now, it makes me feel tense. Like it was. Yeah, that was bad, bad, bad, it was bad that it happened on my birthday. It was the whole thing was like, And even. Yeah, when I was getting the episode ready and looking through the footage and reading for my travel journal, I just it made me feel all that tension and stress all over again.
00:53:33:33 – 00:53:57:51
Alyssa LaBotz
But I wanted people to know like that horseback riding is a popular thing there. And I had seen so many things like, oh, beginners do it. People have never been on a horse, do it. And so I’m like, it seemed okay to me, but my experience was so different. So I just wanted people to see like what could possibly happen if you do decide to do it?
00:53:57:51 – 00:54:11:58
Alyssa LaBotz
And I don’t know. Again, it was one of those episodes where I felt like it was kind of boring and self-indulgent, but I also felt like maybe people would want to know about how the works writing goes there.
00:54:12:02 – 00:54:27:42
Agent Palmer
I think that could be true of like, anything. No. Like if you’re not prepared. I mean, you know, that’s just then, you know, dealer’s choice. Like, it could turn out good. It could turn out bad. Yeah. Who knows?
00:54:27:47 – 00:54:28:16
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
00:54:28:28 – 00:54:32:49
Agent Palmer
So can can. Do you think? Do you think tomorrow you could get on a horse like or.
00:54:32:54 – 00:54:50:59
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, I would 100% go horseback riding again. Just not there. I’ve never had a bad experience horseback riding. I’ve done it in other countries to. And that was like the first time where. And it wasn’t even my horse. My horse was an angel. It was that route they took us on was. Absolutely.
00:54:51:01 – 00:54:53:55
Agent Palmer
So you’re just gonna stay away from horses and canyons?
00:54:54:09 – 00:55:00:59
Alyssa LaBotz
Yes. It was. That was. Man, that was bad.
00:55:01:04 – 00:55:09:49
Agent Palmer
But but it’s. You have a memento now like this is you can move past it. It’s a warning for other travelers.
00:55:09:54 – 00:55:34:36
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. That was, I don’t know, that whole trip. Like even I was gone for two and a half months. And then the horseback riding and the air visits and Kazakhstan, those were like two very tiny portions of the trip, like, overall, the whole trip was good, but it’s like we have those really bad experiences.
00:55:34:45 – 00:55:36:19
Agent Palmer
The colors, everything.
00:55:36:24 – 00:55:56:18
Alyssa LaBotz
I think about those a lot when I think about the trip, because they did put like a shadow on part of the trip and it’s like, I don’t know. It’s one of those things where I had a really good time overall. But it’s like those two experiences just it leaves like a lingering bad taste in your mouth.
00:55:56:23 – 00:56:08:51
Agent Palmer
So would you consider going back to not to those same places, but to, like, maybe run it back again for a, you know, maybe without the horseback riding in the archery?
00:56:08:53 – 00:56:34:32
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, I yeah, I would definitely for sure do Kirghiz Stan again wouldn’t not do the horseback ride. I would even consider Kazakhstan again. Maybe. But it’s made me very much more aware of healthcare in other countries because I’ve never had an issue before. And even the horseback ride, I’m like, oh my gosh, like, what if I fell off my horse?
00:56:34:39 – 00:56:49:00
Alyssa LaBotz
Like, they start thinking about the facilities there and I’m like, I don’t want to limit where I travel just based on the hospitals there. But it’s definitely given me a new awareness of that kind of stuff.
00:56:49:05 – 00:56:56:29
Agent Palmer
All right. Well, I look forward to, you know, all your health care tips for traveling abroad in your next video then.
00:56:56:33 – 00:57:07:59
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah. Coming soon.
00:57:08:04 – 00:57:30:29
Agent Palmer
I think Alyssa’s approach to her YouTube channel is not just honorable, it is the right way to approach anything you want to create. Is it useful? Perhaps not everyone is rushing out to the Baltics for a vacation, but for those who do, her videos can be useful in planning. The same is true of her videos about other destinations in South America, Europe and Central Asia.
00:57:30:41 – 00:57:52:49
Agent Palmer
Is it useful? It doesn’t work for everything you may create for others, but it is a great start. At a minimum, it is a more noble endeavor than all those people just creating content slop. And we could use more noble endeavors, especially on the internet. Thanks for listening to The Palmer Files episode 184. And now for the official business.
00:57:52:56 – 00:58:13:12
Agent Palmer
The Palmer Files releases every two weeks on Tuesdays. If you’re still listening, I encourage you to join the discussion. You can find all related ways to contact Alyssa or myself in the show notes. You can visit Alice’s website, media.com, or you can see her travel videos on YouTube at Roaming with Alyssa. You can also check out her most excellent editing skills on Retro Days at YouTube.
00:58:13:12 – 00:59:13:23
Agent Palmer
Dot com slash retro days. That’s our days. The music for this episode was provided by email, and comments can be sent to this show at The Palmer files@gmail.com. And remember your home for all things Agent Palmer is Agent palmer.com.
00:59:13:27 – 00:59:30:26
Alyssa LaBotz
Well, since we were talking about kids earlier, it made me wonder because I know my sister sometimes is like, I just need a break. Like, can you please take the baby? I need a break. Do you feel like that? Like I just need a break from him.
00:59:30:31 – 00:59:57:49
Agent Palmer
So I don’t know that I need a break from, like. Well, so it’s interesting, right? I think I need a break, but I don’t know that it’s from parenthood. I think the problem that, my my personal problem is that, I am childcare all day. Steph gets up first.
00:59:57:54 – 00:59:58:37
Alyssa LaBotz
00:59:58:42 – 01:00:31:44
Agent Palmer
And does first breakfast and then I take over when she goes to work and I do second breakfast. And then we do all our, our as, as best we can morning stuff whether depending will go for walks we’ll you know go to the store whatever. And then at lunch. Basically I eat early and when Stef has lunch, I come down to my office and I work for an hour because that’s how long her lunch is.
01:00:31:52 – 01:00:59:48
Agent Palmer
And then I’m back on to, you know, daddy mode. Until she gets off of work. And then we have dinner together now and then, I come down to work, and then there’s, bedtime. Or if I don’t have a lot, if I don’t have a lot of work, I’ll. I’ll stay up until after bedtime, and then I come back down to work.
01:00:59:52 – 01:01:30:00
Agent Palmer
My problem is that, like, I’m. I went from before the before times when I could work, when I needed to to. Now, like, I’m, I’m. I guess I could stay up later, but I don’t I, I don’t know that I have the energy to just stay up later. Yeah. I need a break. But, like, you know, not not to, you know, we’ll just say everybody needs to, make as much as they possibly can right now.
01:01:30:05 – 01:01:53:13
Agent Palmer
So it feels like I have to keep up. You know, I’m not I’m not making a necessarily a living wage, but I, I, I do add to the household income in what I do. And so it feels like. All right. But you got to keep that up. And my work is as I do it, like some things are longer, some things are shorter.
01:01:53:18 – 01:02:19:38
Agent Palmer
I still love doing this podcast. So that’s when I say work. You know, if I’m not getting paid. But I have that hour in the middle of the day that I can get, you know, 20 minutes. Audio edited and, you know, email some future guests or whatever. So it it just feels like when we go for a walk and it’s wonderful, except when I’m like, all right, this is a put you to sleep walk, kid.
01:02:19:52 – 01:02:42:22
Agent Palmer
This is not a fun walk. This is hopefully after a couple miles, I will look down and you will be conked out. Walk. You know, like, maybe that kind of walk where I can listen to a little bit of music, but otherwise, it just feels like now I’m on from the moment until whenever. So, like, maybe lying in bed when I read at night.
01:02:42:25 – 01:03:02:31
Agent Palmer
And again, as I talked about in the episode, I try and listen to music. I try and read books and watch things like, I’m still trying and maybe it’s folly and maybe it’s a mistake, but we’re only having one kid, so I won’t be able to try this again. But like I, I’m still trying to maintain like me.
01:03:02:35 – 01:03:29:15
Agent Palmer
Jason. Yeah. Like, I, I don’t I, I love being a father, I but I, I there’s a part of me I don’t want to lose myself because I’m now just a dad and that’s what I need a break from, is because doing all these things and yes, sometimes I get to sit down and I’m still slowly watching through all of the Star Trek’s and.
01:03:29:17 – 01:03:42:02
Agent Palmer
But finding 43 minutes to watch a show uninterrupted is hard. I don’t want to necessarily do it at midnight when I might fall, like I don’t want to fall asleep during it, you know, like there. So it’s.
01:03:42:02 – 01:03:43:04
Agent Palmer
Just.
01:03:43:09 – 01:04:19:24
Agent Palmer
Sometimes I have to let go of the things I want to do because I’m just too tired. But in a whole, I don’t need a break from being a dad, but it would be nice if I could lose a few hobbies maybe. Or like, you know, maybe not have a job for a week. These are the things because because it is compounded all those things that I still do that I did before and I don’t I know that, part of it is that Steph and I both make an effort to still hold on to the things we did before we were mom and dad.
01:04:19:28 – 01:04:19:55
Alyssa LaBotz
01:04:20:02 – 01:04:41:49
Agent Palmer
And I know not having talked to other parents, I know not a lot of people spend a lot of energy trying to hold on to who they were before. And that’s that’s fine. May I don’t actually. Truth be told I don’t know if that’s fine for them. I know it’s a lot of energy and work for us, but I, I think in the long term it might be better off.
01:04:41:49 – 01:04:59:50
Agent Palmer
I don’t know, I mean I’m not I’m not judging, but I’m just I do and I can have a conversation about all the books I’ve read and all the albums I’ve listened to over the last, you know, however long I’ve been a dad. And I don’t have to talk about being a dad. I don’t have to. I can, I don’t have to.
01:04:59:55 – 01:05:22:17
Agent Palmer
And I, I feel, I don’t know, for whatever reason. That’s just I’ve decided that that’s important to me and that’s what I need the break from, because, like, that’s I just gave you my schedule. And that doesn’t include trying to find time to watch a one hour Star Trek or, you know, like, I, I can I can get away with listening to music while I’m, you know, on duty, so to speak.
01:05:22:17 – 01:05:29:29
Agent Palmer
But reading, once your kids mobile, you’re not picking up a book.
01:05:29:34 – 01:05:30:41
Alyssa LaBotz
That goes out winning.
01:05:30:43 – 01:05:38:14
Agent Palmer
That’s done. Like like when, when, when when the pack in play was, able to contain the child.
01:05:38:19 – 01:05:38:45
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah.
01:05:38:57 – 01:06:05:22
Agent Palmer
I could just read, you know, but that that that ceases to be. And so, like, I can hold a book, but it’s better if I don’t hold a book that’s like one of mine because it’s going to get slapped out of my hands, but it’s just the way it works. You know, I’m glad you have an interest in reading, kid, but right now, daddy’s reading Canterbury Tales, and I don’t think that’s good for you.
01:06:05:27 – 01:06:30:37
Agent Palmer
And it’s like, I can’t even read this allowed to you. Because first of all, it’s it’s while it is in modern English. So I can read it. It still is. It’s not the easiest thing to read, much less read aloud. So and even when you know the pack and play was fine. I looked back over what I’ve read just this year, and I go, I’ve read a lot of like, I can’t read this allowed books.
01:06:30:42 – 01:06:54:43
Agent Palmer
They’re not necessarily bad, but like I read. Like I read stranger in a Strange Land, the uncut edition, and it’s like, this isn’t I don’t, I don’t I don’t want to have to explain this later. Like, if you do happen to pick up on any of this, I read a book about Vietnam. Let’s not go there with a kid under, you know, whatever, like two years old, like, so I just.
01:06:54:45 – 01:07:11:08
Agent Palmer
And it’s just, I that’s just the happenstance of the books I’ve been reading. All right. That’s, maybe that’s my fault, but I. I do need a break, but I feel like that’s my own, my own undoing. Because I want to be able to be not just a dad.
01:07:11:11 – 01:07:36:26
Alyssa LaBotz
Yeah, I think that’s a good approach you have, like, trying to maintain, like your self-identity still without just turning into, like, dad. But yeah, I’m sure you’ll figure out the the holes, timing filling your schedule thing with the extra hobbies. It’s probably just going to take some time to work out, but I think having that goal is good.
01:07:36:29 – 01:08:11:34
Agent Palmer
Yeah. I mean, the other thing is obviously kids are still I mean, up until school they are very their hands on and everything’s changing. Mobility is the first really biggest change. But you know, they all want attention. Like that’s not you know, and I, I, I try and rely on, on, on grandparents as much as possible. But my parents are the closest to us and they have their own lives.
01:08:11:38 – 01:08:27:28
Agent Palmer
You know, they I thought there was a, you know, a moment where it might be they will just be grandparents. That’s not that. You know, they didn’t give up the rest of their identity either, though. So, like, you know, I at least I’m in the right boat with that. But it’s like, hey, do you want to come over?
01:08:27:37 – 01:08:42:43
Agent Palmer
And I’m not I like, I’m at this like, my dad listens to this show, so he’s going to hear this, but like, sometimes I’ll call and be like, do you want to, do you want to come over? And I’m just fishing to see, like, I’m not, I’m not, I don’t I don’t need a break. But it wouldn’t hurt.
01:08:42:48 – 01:09:08:21
Agent Palmer
And it’s like, nope, nope, I have a meeting today or, you know, we’re going to this thing or we’re going to a winery or whatever. It’s like, no, no, live your life. I’m not. That’s fine. But like, it’s like, all right, so so, Alyssa, all I’m saying is, you know, if you want to be an ant again and move across the country, if you’re within 15 minutes, you’re you’re more than welcome to take this child.
01:09:08:25 – 01:09:10:40
Alyssa LaBotz
Okay?
01:09:10:44 – 01:09:25:32
Agent Palmer
Or if you just want to come into town and take the child for a couple of days, you know, that’s fine too. You know, this is your Aunt Alyssa. Have fun.
01:09:25:36 – 01:09:27:03
Agent Palmer
Because all of our friends.
01:09:27:10 – 01:09:28:03
Alyssa LaBotz
Very cute.
01:09:28:10 – 01:09:28:51
Agent Palmer
All of our.
01:09:28:53 – 01:09:30:41
Alyssa LaBotz
We get along with.
01:09:30:46 – 01:09:59:30
Agent Palmer
All of our friends, our aunt and uncle. Anyway. So, like, it’s just like, all right, it’s it’s it’s it’s fine. You know, Yeah. All the practice you get on auto, you just come out and you’ll be a, you’ll be a shoo in and, you know, you know, Pennsylvania’s got some flat land. You you can go on a drive chasing a storm in the middle of July, maybe just for a couple hours.
01:09:59:34 – 01:10:00:39
Agent Palmer
You never know.
01:10:00:44 – 01:10:02:27
Alyssa LaBotz
Okay. Sounds like a plan.
–End Transcription–
This transcription was processed by PalmerTech 3.1 and may contain errors for HUMINT (human intelligence).