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visit boostmobile.com. You're listening to a podcast, so you're doing something else too,
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Hello. Hello. And welcome. To My Favorite Murder. This is the mini-sode. That's right.
00:02:36
Here it is. It's email time. Why don't you go first? Some people call it mailbag.
00:02:41
Some people call it viewer mail, listener mail. Not us. I feel like calling it hometowns at this point is not true.
00:02:50
We've gone so far off the hometown track. Yeah. For example, here, this email. And it just starts like this.
00:02:57
I'm not going to read the subject line. It just starts, I realized my last submission of this story
00:03:01
had an error in it around 4 a.m., which is when I typically relive all the mistakes I've made in my life.
00:03:07
This version that you're about to read is accurate and updated. So like my therapist suggests,
00:03:13
I've corrected myself and I'm moving on. This is me moving on. And then it's a paragraph break and then it says,
00:03:21
so how are all the pets? When I was a teenager, my entire family met in Vegas to celebrate my grandparents' anniversary.
00:03:28
Aunts, uncles, cousins, et cetera. Why would a family of 13 to 70-year-olds meet in Sin City?
00:03:34
Gambling and free booze for everyone except two of us, me and my cousin. We were both 13 and it was 1990.
00:03:42
Cell phones didn't exist and clearly neither did parental supervision. Our first night there,
00:03:47
we went to a fancy Vegas dinner to celebrate my grandparents. The adults couldn't wait to get to the casino floor
00:03:53
and us kids couldn't wait to get away from the adults. The great thing about all the booze and the gambling
00:03:59
was that my parents really didn't pay us much attention. They just kept handing us $20 bills
00:04:03
without taking their eyes off the slot machines, cigarettes dangling from their lips.
00:04:08
At first, we didn't leave the hotel. It was the Mirage and it was brand new. We just messed around in the gift shops,
00:04:14
going up and down the elevators, eating candy, et cetera. It's a dream. Love it.
00:04:18
Then we decided we needed to find a place that was more our speed. So we hailed a cab and headed to Circus Circus.
00:04:25
What? I wouldn't even have known how to do that. For real. I would have been like, they won't let me hail a cab.
00:04:32
Yeah. I'm too young. Holy shit. Not these two. The cabbie didn't hesitate to take a fistful of sweaty 20s from two 13-year-olds
00:04:40
and then raced through the back streets of Vegas to get us to our destination. Once at Circus Circus, we ate junk food.
00:04:46
This is so fucking crazy. Also, I don't know Vegas well enough, but Circus Circus is far away from the main hotels on this trip, right?
00:04:57
It's on the edge, like in so many ways, not just its location. It's on the edge emotionally, physically.
00:05:05
Once at Circus Circus, we ate junk food and played games until it was dark, and we ran out of money.
00:05:11
We walked back to our hotel. I looked it up. The hotels are 1.7 Vegas miles away from each other.
00:05:19
In Vegas, that's a lot. That's eight miles. Yeah. My cousin couldn't find his parents, so he crashed in my room.
00:05:26
It was a room with an adjoining door to my parents' room. They, of course, were still boozing and gambling, so they hadn't gotten back yet.
00:05:32
I didn't hear anything from either of them until my mom flung the adjoining door open the next morning and exclaimed,
00:05:39
There you are! All my life, I've had the confidence that I could do anything. Maybe, like so many of the greats,
00:05:46
the roots of my tenacity began in Vegas. Or maybe my parents should have given a shit.
00:05:52
Either way, I'm pretty much fine. Thank you all for being such badasses. Over the years, you have been a thread of comfort,
00:05:59
tethering me to humor, kindness, and hope through times of anxiety and self-doubt.
00:06:04
Wow, that's a lovely compliment. SSDGM, Layla. And then in parentheses, it says,
00:06:10
like the song, she, her. fucking Layla that was an epic beautiful email Layla great job
00:06:17
oh my god I mean I was doing some crazy shit at 13 too but now that I like in my 40s I like that a baby You a baby You a baby I mean that eighth grade maybe Seventh grade
00:06:30
Seventh or eighth grade. Holy shit. Good one. I don't think I even saw a cab until I was in my 20s.
00:06:36
Me neither. It's so intense. Yep. Okay. This one's called, Well, That Was Awkward.
00:06:42
Hey, y'all. Thanks for everything you do and continuing to make episodes that are a joy to
00:06:46
listen to. So this isn't the typical true crime story, more of a story about why I shouldn't go
00:06:52
in public. I was at my godson's first birthday party and I was the only non-family member there.
00:06:58
I was also the only non-parent there. There was a lot of mom-centric talking happening,
00:07:03
so I tuned it out. But I kept hearing them talking about NXIVM, which is that crazy cult
00:07:09
from The Vow. This piqued my interest, so I started to eavesdrop. I must have had a confused
00:07:14
look on my face because my friend asked me what was wrong. I said, NXIVM the cult? They said,
00:07:20
no. NXIVM the heartburn med. Two totally different conversations and a stark difference
00:07:26
between a true crime person and a non-true crime person. Stay sexy and don't bring up a sex cult
00:07:33
at a one-year-old's birthday party, Sarah. Sarah's like, could we please talk about
00:07:39
bikini line branding and not your acid reflux. That's so funny. I forgot when that story broke
00:07:47
and they first started reading about NXIVM. That's the first thing I thought I wore.
00:07:50
I'm like, this has to be a misprint because NXIVM already exists and it's a medicine.
00:07:56
But nope. Hey everyone, it's Cal Penn. I'm the host of Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.
00:08:06
This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook Project Hail Mary,
00:08:14
massive sci-fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone very far from Earth.
00:08:22
I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary
00:08:27
as I'm narrating some of these sections. And it's like, okay, yo, yo, yo, is this indulgent?
00:08:32
And I really thought about it. I was like, no, at this point, it would kind of be betraying the trust,
00:08:37
the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it.
00:08:42
But there's places in this book that deeply emotionally affected me, and I left it on the mic.
00:08:48
That's great. Because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end.
00:08:53
It's like, yeah, dude, me too. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club
00:08:58
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average new policyholder data for accident and illness plans, pets age 0 to 10. Let's talk about modern home shopping.
00:10:05
It's sort of become a fun side hobby, right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen,
00:10:11
or backyards you haven't even stepped foot in. All from the comfort of pretty much anywhere.
00:10:17
Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own, but are stuck in this browsing mode loop.
00:10:22
That's where Redfin flips the script. With listings that update within minutes, and tours you can book right from the Redfin app,
00:10:30
you can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now, liking a listing is easy,
00:10:35
but actually landing it, that's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2,200 agents with local expertise.
00:10:43
And Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win, not just window shop.
00:10:50
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So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.
00:11:02
That's redfin.com. Okay, I'm not going to read you the subject line of this. It says, hey all, let me preface this email
00:11:10
by explaining that I am an English-speaking American who half-assed her way through five years
00:11:15
of public school German. Five years. What happened? I have not taken a German class since 2015,
00:11:23
but apparently my unconscious brain is fluent. I've always been a sleep talker. I have a lot of strange sleeping habits that my parents talk about all the time.
00:11:32
And then in parentheses, it says unrelated, but one time I sleptwalked to my neighbor's
00:11:35
house and broke in. But that's a story for another time. Anyway, I've had three roommates and one boyfriend report back to me that I started speaking German
00:11:47
in my sleep. I won't get into all of them, although they're all just as creepy and unusual.
00:11:53
This story takes place during my sophomore year in college. While I was fast asleep in our shared bedroom, my college roommate was finishing up her homework.
00:12:02
I started stirring and whispering something that made her turn around. My eyes were wide open and I suddenly sat up and started to aggressively whisper in German.
00:12:12
Oh my God, that's the creepiest. That is not okay at all. Even if it was fucking Italian or a romance language, doesn't matter.
00:12:21
She asked me what I was saying and if I was awake while I continued to ramble on in my foreign language.
00:12:27
Suddenly the German stopped and to her horror, I said, don't worry, the dream man won't get you if we stick together.
00:12:34
Oh my God. Then I tucked myself back under my blanket and was silent for the rest of her sleepless night.
00:12:43
She and I are not friends anymore. And then in parentheses it says it for the best But sometimes I worry about the dream man and whether or not he got her Unfortunately I don know who possesses me in the night and why they are so menacing
00:12:58
but I have kind of come to love this useless skill of mine. Well, that's it. If anybody wants to have a sleepover
00:13:04
and talk to my German demon, let me know. Stay sexy, Carly. That's wild that your brain would still retain all of that.
00:13:13
I mean, I guess it makes sense. Your unconscious brain. I wonder if there's some sort of past life or ancestral Germanic,
00:13:22
like that's the reason she took it in the first place, maybe? There's something in there that wanted to speak German?
00:13:28
Love it. This is called My Dog Fucked Him Up. Hey, everyone, but mostly your furry comrades,
00:13:34
because this is a My Pet Saved Me story. I have to say the usual thank you for being so open about your therapy and mental health.
00:13:41
You inspired me to get back into therapy, even if only to have someone to talk to about shit.
00:13:48
Now we'll sally forth into the story. When I was a teenager, we rescued a 16-year-old mutt named Sandy
00:13:54
who was riddled with cancer. She mostly slept with the occasional humph when she got out of bed to head to a new spot to sleep.
00:14:02
Well, one night my parents were out partying and says, I want to make an excuse for them,
00:14:06
but my therapist told me to stop doing that. So fuck them. And the only phone in the house
00:14:11
was a landline in the mudroom, which conveniently happened to be what was broken into that night.
00:14:17
Sandy and I were asleep in my room right next to the mudroom. Some guy kicked the door open and Sandy was gone.
00:14:24
She booked her old ass straight at him and launched full force at him, clamping onto his arm.
00:14:31
I was able to get to the phone and by the time the cops got there, she had mangled his wrist to the point where he would probably not have full use of his hand.
00:14:38
And it says I totally eavesdropped on the paramedics. At bar close, my parents came home to the crime scene,
00:14:44
several disapproving police officers, and me crying while I laid on a bloody uninterested dog.
00:14:50
Their stupefaction was the second best part of the night. Stay sexy and don't underestimate the quiet ones.
00:14:56
Cece, she, her. Wow. I always wonder what like Cookie would be like with an actual intruder.
00:15:02
Cookie would be really cute. She would be cute and easy to calm down. Hopefully she would just like warm the heart of the intruder
00:15:10
and they'd be like, you know what? I see the error of my ways. I have to go. Did someone leave a little doll on the floor?
00:15:18
Oh, I'm up it. Frank is like a street dog. He's very like, he would go crazy, I think.
00:15:24
He's ready for a fight. I love that. Blossom is like, I've got to get out of here.
00:15:29
She's nervous. She's not interested in conversation in any way. She would run for sure.
00:15:36
The subject line of this email is hidden treasure let down. And it just starts, yo.
00:15:40
I sent a super depressing hometown about four years ago, but now that the floodgates for hometowns have been opened,
00:15:46
I have something a little more lighthearted. About 15 years ago, my parents bought a home
00:15:50
in small town Nebraska that was built by a family that owned banks and toll bridges in our county.
00:15:57
And then it says, didn't know that people were allowed to own bridges, but I digress.
00:16:01
Anyways, after they bought the house, complete with velvet wallpaper, shag carpeting, mirrors everywhere, et cetera,
00:16:08
they went into full demo mode. They were demoing an area in the basement, which at one point was my bedroom,
00:16:15
and they found a hidden compartment. My immediate thought was, oh shit, these bankers have a safe full of money.
00:16:23
Nope. It was just a lockbox with the blueprints from when they built the house. But here's where things get interesting.
00:16:30
The blueprints revealed a hidden room behind what my mom calls her hoarder room,
00:16:36
recycled bows and ribbons from Christmas, random empty boxes that she thinks she needs, etc.
00:16:40
Even though she's thrown out every single middle school arts and crafts project I've ever made.
00:16:45
Ouch. But this secret room, this is where the money is, right? Yeah. Nope. All that was there was literally the world's oldest set of golf clubs and a doll.
00:16:57
Aww. My mom gave the doll to my niece, so I'm keeping an eye out for her because that doll has some secrets to share.
00:17:05
Stay sexy and don't create secret rooms if you're not going to hide money. Best wishes and warmest regards.
00:17:11
And then in brackets, it says, keeping my name private in case I find that family's fucking money.
00:17:18
It's in there. It's in there somewhere. I mean, that idea that you on blueprints,
00:17:22
it's like, oh my God, a hidden room. And then it's like, that's where I stash my golf clubs.
00:17:28
And the one haunted doll. Demon doll. Hey, everyone. It's Cal Penn, host of Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.
00:17:40
This week on the podcast, I'm sitting down with Will Wheaton, who played Gordy Lachance in Stand By Me 40 years ago,
00:17:47
and now narrates Stephen King's The Body, the novella that inspired it all. We talk about what it's like to return to a story that shaped his life,
00:17:56
channeling his memories of River Phoenix in the recording booth, and why the friendships you have at 12 might be the most important ones you'll ever have.
00:18:04
I know Gordy Lachance. I am Gordy Lachance. Like, I mean, even when I was a little kid, I was Gordy Lachance when I didn't know it.
00:18:14
Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:18:20
Your pet is your bestie. Your therapist, your perfect match. It's easy to love them.
00:18:27
It's easy to protect them, too, with pet insurance coverage from Pets Best. because it's all fun and games until they chew on something they shouldn't.
00:18:34
And you get a vet bill to match. With perfect timing, Pets Best helps protect your furry friend
00:18:40
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00:18:47
Pets Best has plans to cover accidents, injuries, and more, from puppies and kittens to seniors.
00:18:52
Find your perfect match plan and get a quote at PetsBest.com. Pet insurance products offered and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services, LLC,
00:18:59
are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company or Independence American Insurance Company.
00:19:02
For terms and conditions, visit www.petsbest.com backslash policy. Products are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company,
00:19:08
Independence American Insurance Company, or MS Transverse Insurance Company, and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services LLC a day premium based on 2024 average new policyholder data for accident and illness plans pets age 0 to 10 Let talk about modern home shopping It sort of become a fun side hobby
00:19:25
right? Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you've never seen, or backyards you
00:19:30
haven't even stepped foot in. All from the comforts of pretty much anywhere. Redfin knows a lot of
00:19:36
people like you want to own, but are stuck in this browsing mode loop. That's where Redfin
00:19:41
flips the script. With listings that update within minutes and tours you can book right from the Redfin
00:19:47
app, you can see your dream home the moment it appears. Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually
00:19:53
landing it, that's where Redfin comes in. Redfin has over 2,200 agents with local expertise. And
00:20:01
Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. That means they want to help you win,
00:20:06
not just window shop. Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home.
00:20:13
So become the newest neighbor on the block. Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.
00:20:20
That's redfin.com. Okay, here's my last one. It says drunk kid story is still a thing?
00:20:27
Question mark? Sure, sure. I've been trying to submit this forever since I first heard a drunk kid story
00:20:32
and I knew it was my time. Figured y'all would appreciate it more than my ex's super conservative Christian family,
00:20:38
but he's an ex for a reason. So anyway, the year was 1995 and I was a two-year-old
00:20:45
who apparently already talked too much for her age. It was a Friday late in the afternoon
00:20:50
and my dad had just gotten home from work. And as all the normal dads did back in the 90s,
00:20:54
he had already started drinking on the way home from work. Sure. He said he got home
00:21:00
and my mom was rushing him to get in the shower and get ready to go have dinner.
00:21:04
So he put his beer down and got in the shower. About 15 minutes goes by and my dad hears my mom yell,
00:21:10
something is wrong with the baby from the bedroom. My dad rushes to see me stumbling
00:21:15
and smiling all over the place. My mom is frantic and screaming. And then in parentheses it says,
00:21:21
she's still like this because who would my mom be if she wasn't screaming? My dad is trying to figure out what's wrong with me.
00:21:29
He calmly walks over to the living room and sees the now empty beer bottle on the coffee table that was full
00:21:35
before he got in the shower. The bottle now empty explains everything. I was drunk AF.
00:21:42
Apparently, while my dad was showering and my mom was clearly not supervising me,
00:21:46
I was in the living room partying it up, drinking my dad's beer. You'd think this would make my parents stay home
00:21:51
and take care of me. Well, no, they were only 22 years old when they had me, so they weren't letting a drunk two-year-old
00:21:58
ruin their evening. My parents still went to dinner with me in the stroller, apparently I passed out in my stroller
00:22:05
as they enjoyed their evening. Hell yeah. My mom says the next morning I woke up crying
00:22:10
saying I had a headache. I was clearly hungover at two years old. Little did I know that would be one of many hangovers
00:22:19
later in my 20s. I hope you all enjoyed this and thank you for advocating for women's abortion rights.
00:22:26
I live in Texas where sadly that right has been taken from us like many other states.
00:22:30
It's infuriating and sad that women before us fought long and hard for that right,
00:22:35
for it just to be taken away in the blink of an eye. SSDGM. S. You're so right, S.
00:22:41
It's so infuriating and so ridiculous, and it needs to change. And in the meantime, let's feed beer to children.
00:22:50
We advocate on behalf of drunk children everywhere. That's our platform. Until women have their bodily autonomy back.
00:22:59
Right. No two-year-old is going to be saved from a Sam Adams long neck. Just kidding.
00:23:06
Y'all, we're kidding. We're kidding. Shut up. We're kidding. Send us your stories, okay?
00:23:12
My favorite murder at Gmail. Yeah, anything you want to tell us about. Pretty much anything at all.
00:23:17
Grandparents usually get moved to the front of the line. We love them. Right. Or a real true crime story.
00:23:22
That'd be great too. Hometown. Always on the search for them. Yeah. But until that time, stay sexy.
00:23:27
And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie? Ah! Twitter at MyFaveMurder. Goodbye.
00:24:29
We'll be back to the farm it came from so you can see the pasture where the hens live by visiting vitalfarms.com slash farm.
00:24:35
Look for the black carton in the egg aisle and visit vitalfarms.com to learn more.
00:24:40
Vitalfarms, good eggs, no shortcuts. Goodbye. Hey everyone, it's Kel Penn. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.
00:24:53
Every episode, I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible.
00:25:00
It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:25:14
Paramount Plus is now the home of all your BET favorites. What? With all new episodes of Tyler Perry's Divorce Sisters.
00:25:21
You've always liked a little drama. Plus a whole new world of movies like Gladiator 2.
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And live sports like UFC. Welcome to the history books! New home, same family. Your BET favorites are now on Paramount+.
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