Holly Had A Breakdown This Time Last Year. It's Happened Again.

0:03 We're the bad sports club because it's dress up in the office today and none of us are wearing it.

0:06 You're wearing bats on your shirt. Okay, that's a bird. That's a bird. You're David Bowie adjacent.

0:14 Yeah.

0:14 That seems right. I don't know what you are.

0:16 A mermaid, maybe?

0:18 I forgot.

0:19 But Luca this morning was like, oh, my costume arrived. I'll bring it to the office. And I was like, okay, if we're buying costumes, you could have grabbed me something.

0:28 I know.

0:28 I think that's rude. A couple's costume.

0:30 Because the thing is, is the reason that none of us dressed up, well, in my mind, is is like poor executive function on my part in that too many things to think about, travelling for work, busy, busy, filming. So I forgot and I walked in and I saw someone in costume and I was immediately like, no. But Luca could have saved you from that.

0:48 Yeah, I'm glad that he knew he had to dress up so he looks like he's part of the team.

0:52 I look like, you know, you just look like a sad sack, like bringing the vibe of the office down.

0:57 Like, come on, man. Especially when our big boss, Ruth, is wearing, well, we'll show you what she's wearing out loud, but it's insane.

1:04 Well, no, she's dressed as a bat and you can hear her before you see her.

1:08 It's very loud.

1:10 And the thing is, is mind you, having seen Luca wearing his outfit, you might have dodged a bullet.

1:15 Yeah, I can't work out what he is. He's just a big. I think he's an egg yolk.

1:19 Okay, he looks like an egg yolk or a glob of like yellow snot.

1:23 Did you decide not to dress up or did you forget? forgot and then I thought everyone who isn't dressed up forgot and then I was just talking to someone in the lift and they said no last year I made an effort and I didn't win a prize so I was like oh there's drama there's office tension.

1:39 Last year there was three people who wore costumes and they had to parade around.

1:42 The office and I think they didn't enjoy that Hello and welcome to Mamma Mia Out Loud.

1:49 It's what women are actually talking about on Wednesday the 28th of October. The fact that it's 28th of October is why everybody's dressing up because it's a few days before Halloween.

1:58 Yes.

1:58 I understand. Right. I'm Holly Wainwright.

2:01 I'm Em Burnham. And I'm Jessie Stephens.

2:03 And you know the other day we talked about Mercury and retrograde or whatever. My makeup bag, don't know how it happened, my most expensive foundation, smashed. I went through all my makeup and it's ruined my whole week and that is so Mercury retrograde coded. So I think that we just need to look out for the little moments of chaos that are ruining our lives at the moment.

2:24 And just blame the stars. Yep. Slash blame Amelia Lester who told us about it.

2:28 Exactly.

2:28 It's definitely her fault. Anyway, today, here's what's made our agenda for the show. It is, as I said, October the 28th and your annual neck pain has started because it's like that time of year when the tension rises. We are looking at the first word of the year that has been announced and why this specific week is is the beginning of the last bit of the year.

2:52 Plus, speaking of annual things, the sexiest man alive has also been announced.

2:58 I have some very important law that I need to tell everyone about.

3:01 And one woman is very grumpy about adults getting involved in kids' activities.

3:06 Does she have a point?

3:08 But first, in case you missed it, Megan and Harry are moving to Australia.

3:13 Melbourne specifically.

3:14 Thought of, at least. Look, there are people who say I talk about these people too much. There are people who say that.

3:20 Okay, well then we have to stop doing things. Just stop doing it.

3:24 I saw that.

3:24 I thought we talk about them too much.

3:25 And then I saw Megan is on Junior MasterChef and I was like, Fuck.

3:30 It's not our fault that the news cycle revolves around my friend Megan like the sun, is it? It's not my fault. So it was announced that, yes, she is definitely really, really going to come and film a season of Junior MasterChef as a judge. And everybody's excited about this because they're like, where's she going to live? Because when you come to film like just a guest appearance like she did earlier this year and do an event, you just come in for a few days. I think they were literally here for five days.

3:55 Okay, and I'm going to assume she stayed at the Crown, Crown Towers or something. I think she probably did.

4:00 But now they're going to have to come for a period of time, maybe just a few weeks because they'll probably, you know, cram the season in. But she'll probably bring Harry, she'll probably bring the kids because Harry and Megs have one of those we're never apart for more than two weeks rules.

4:11 Yeah. So they're going to have to move to Melbourne. Everybody's talking about where you live.

4:17 If you are almost royalty, freelance royalty as we describe them, where do you choose to live in Australia, friends? Tell me. If I was them.

4:24 I know, I know this for certain, that someone on her team would have been like, has anyone ever tried the Opera House?

4:33 No.

4:34 It is a house. It's in its name. It's the most famous house in Australia. Has a great veranda. Megan's going to be the most famous person there.

4:41 Great view.

4:41 It just makes sense.

4:42 Opera house.

4:43 So true.

4:44 Okay, I think that what's going to happen is she's going to Melbourne and they're going to rent out a mansion in Toorak. I know nothing about Melbourne, but I know about Toorak. You know that Toorak is where fancy people live? Whenever I meet someone, I go, where do you live? And then they say Toorak.

4:57 I'm like, ooh.

4:59 Ooh.

4:59 Well, someone's made of money. Yeah. So it's going to be that.

5:03 Shout out to any Turok-based outlouders and apologies if you're not in fact made of money.

5:08 The other one I heard was Armidale. Apparently there's a Scanlon Theodore. Like in Armidale, it's a suburb of New Melbourne, I think.

5:17 Oh, no.

5:17 Not Armidale, the country town. I don't think so. I think it's a suburb of New Melbourne. What if they get it wrong?

5:21 I'm pulling a face not because there's anything wrong with Armidale, the country town, but just like. That would be random.

5:28 No, they said there's a Scanlon Theatre there and that Scanlon Theatre better brace itself for Meghan Markle because she's going to love a Scanlon number.

5:35 She'd be very Scanlon.

5:36 Oh, she'd love it.

5:37 In Sydney they often stay. So, you know, we often have international stars come and shoot a season of a show, like come and shoot, you know, X Factor, The Voice, whatever. They often will borrow another rich person's house.

5:47 Yes.

5:48 I think like really rich people who have Palm Beach mansions and stuff like just share them around. Like you can come stay because I'm never there, blah, blah, blah.

5:55 Yes.

5:55 So Palm Beach is very popular. So obviously the eastern suburbs. But I would be, if I was Megan, I'd be a bit like, do you think we could relocate this season to Byron Bay? Yeah.

6:05 Oh, yeah, she'd love that.

6:06 I don't know, Cape Tribulation, Ningaloo Reef, like somewhere you've always wanted to go.

6:10 Well, maybe they'll do a trip. Maybe they'll do a trip.

6:13 Do you remember when Mia was going for a walk one day and she ran into Emmanuel Macron because he was staying, like, around the corner from her?

6:22 He took a picture of her. She was like, Emmanuel, and she got a picture of them. That was so funny.

6:27 So funny. Oh my God, I would die. What if she comes down to where I live? What if she's like at my trivia night on a Thursday night and I could get a selfie with Meg?

6:36 At the pub.

6:37 She's going for the meat raffle.

6:40 Oh, she'd love that. I'm manifesting.

6:41 I'm manifesting as of now.

6:44 Sexiest man alive.

6:46 It happened. It happened overnight. And we have a winner.

6:49 It is.

6:50 Drum roll.

6:51 I'll do it myself.

6:53 You know, I think we can have sound effects, but I don't know how to do it. I guess I'm in this alone.

6:57 Noah Wiley! Woo!

7:04 And he is, for anyone who doesn't remember, the pit guy.

7:09 The pit guy. The former ER guy. Yes.

7:12 Now on the pit. He won an Emmy for the pit. He won an Emmy last year for the pit. Apparently he's very, very popular. I haven't watched the pit.

7:19 Oh, Jessie has.

7:20 Oh, okay.

7:21 Yes.

7:22 Do you agree he's the sexiest man alive?

7:24 Okay. Hmm.

7:29 I like Noah. He's a lovely gentleman.

7:32 And I do think that there is something about a doctor, of which he is because he was in ER and the pit.

7:37 So he's officially a doctor.

7:39 You can go to him with your health concerns.

7:41 Exactly.

7:42 And there's something about a man who knows how to perform surgery that's just very, it makes you feel safe, makes you feel like you're in good hands, seems like a family man. He seems relatively controversy-free.

7:54 I'm into it.

7:55 Okay, Jessie, tick.

7:56 Tick.

7:57 I want to get to that about whether or not he was first choice or not because we've got some intel on that. But what I'm really interested in is that in our office here, people are always very excited about this.

8:08 Yes.

8:08 But Sexiest Man Alive has been going on for a really long time and it's People Magazine, in case anybody doesn't know. People Magazine, which is the sort of really credible celebrity mag slash website slash content platform in the U.S., It's the one that all the celebrities go to. They do proper shoots. They don't just gossip. Celebrities talk to them.

8:25 They don't publish unsubstantiated rumors. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm surprised you guys care about who the sexiest man alive is. I would have thought that was very... old coded.

8:35 I care about the sexiest man alive because i like being angry about things yeah it fuels my anger and last year was the first time in a long time i wasn't angry last year was jonathan bailey and i feel like everyone was accepting of that we.

8:49 Were like ridgerton from wicked.

8:51 Yes first openly gay man yeah and he was promoting wicked so the thing with sexiest man alive is that The man who's chosen has to agree and be like, I agree, I am the sexiest man alive.

9:04 Let's do a photo shoot.

9:04 Yeah, let's do a photo shoot. Let's do an interview. Usually the man doesn't agree. There's been rumours that Pedro Pascal never agreed to do it. The person I thought would be this year was Alexander Skarsgård as Wicca.

9:17 Well, do you want to know who the number one, the bet that was placed this year was that it was going to be Holly's best friend, Bad Bunny?

9:25 He wouldn't do it.

9:26 He wouldn't do it. He's above it. He's above it.

9:27 So this is the thing about Sexiest Man, right, is that... You have to be, as you say, you have to be on board. So it's not an arbitrary, probably was once, like literally you look at all the beautiful pictures of all the men and go, we want him on a cover. Because there's so much effort and science that goes into it.

9:43 But you have to do an interview.

9:45 Yeah, but they have to sign in because they have to be part of it. In fact, we've got a little grab here of Dan Wooten, who used to be a People editor, talking about, he chose, well, he says that while he was there, he chose Michael B. Jordan. Excellent choice.

9:58 2020, best choice in the world.

9:59 John Ledge.

10:00 Paul Rudd.

10:01 He said the best kind of choice is a divisive one that starts arguing. But here's his little insight into how you don't always get your first choice.

10:11 Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes the first choice doesn't happen and you go down the list. Plenty of famous men turned it down because they had nothing to promote or didn't want to be overexposed at that moment and it wasn't right for their career. And then said yes a few years later when the timing suited them. A few never wanted to do it at all. And here's what people always forget. People Magazine's audience is a lot older than you'd think. Pick someone too young and half your readers feel like they're lusting after their son.

10:42 That's so interesting, right? So Noah Wiley is 55. Yes. And the idea that obviously magazine audiences are aging up, so you can't be someone, because a lot of the comments, I saw in some of the comments, it was like Hudson Williams, who's from Heated Rivalry, was right there. Why didn't you pick? They're not going to pick him because he's too young. What do you think about the politics of this? And do you reckon Noah Wiley would have been a number one?

11:05 No, I don't think that he was a number one.

11:08 I think I was thinking about Jacob Elordi or like even.

11:14 Off campus, who was our hottie. Oh, Belmont. Yeah, he was gorgeous. I thought maybe him.

11:19 And famously, the person who has turned it down multiple times is said to be Ryan Gosling because he wants to be taken seriously as an actor.

11:26 Well, we'll take him seriously if he accepts us as the sexiest man alive.

11:31 Can I tell you guys how it started?

11:32 Yes, please do.

11:32 Because this is my favourite story ever. It's 1985. People Magazine have to interview Mel Gibson for a cover. So they send the journo over to Australia because he was filming Mad Max 3. Mel Gibson was not in a good mood when this interview took place. So the interview gets to him, he's on set. Straight off the bat, Mel Gibson says, I don't want to do this interview.

11:53 And also, this film I'm filming, Mad Max 3, is a piece of shit.

11:57 Oh, no. The journo's like, okay. They did the interview.

12:01 Apparently, it was horrible. He gave him nothing. So the interviewer had to call his editor and be like, this is a horrible interview. The editor's like, just get the photos. He got the photos. They send them to People Magazine. One of the photo editors goes, well, at least he's like the sexiest man alive.

12:16 Bam.

12:16 Cover.

12:17 And that's how it started. And so Mel was the first one. Look, he turned out to be very problematic.

12:23 He did.

12:24 But there have been quite a lot of problematic men on there. My Brad has been on there a couple of times.

12:28 I read the stats.

12:29 Did you know that 17 in the last 41 years have been doctors?

12:35 I think that says something.

12:36 About what we find. When you say being doctors, you mean plague doctors?

12:38 Yes. None of them have medical degrees. Not one. So modern people make doctors.

12:44 It's really interesting because you have to be at just the right level of fame to want to do it, right? Because if you're super famous, you don't need to do it. Like Bad Bunny does not need to do it. He is the most streamed artist in the world. He's like, why would I do that? But he was like, sure, I'll be on the cover of Vogue Pets because I want to show you all my cute little dog. He's like...

13:03 Pick and choose your project. And there would have once been a real thing of, like, who do you think you are to accept it. Oh, there still is. But do you think now, do you think badly of anyone who would accept it?

13:14 No, and I thought, I read the interview and it was really sweet and he said, like, I thought it was a prank, but my wife said, you know, there's something about him being a, you know, relatively good role model, controversy free, he's a father, he didn't get his pecs out.

13:28 I don't think he has pecs. And so I thought that was.

13:32 A bit of a dad bod, which I thought was quite nice. But what I also thought was notable about this was that for the last 10 plus years, the announcement has been made on a late night talk show. That's when it gets announced. Do you know where they announced it this year? Amy Poehler's Good Hang.

13:48 Guys, podcasts are on the up. They're on the up. I love that. Podcasts with a new status quo. I think it says something about where she announced it. Maybe we'll get it next year. Who's it going to be?

14:00 Maybe we should start one. Maybe we should start– no, it would be really cheesy. It's objectifying, right? We couldn't do it like it's.

14:07 It's objectifying, but it's also like, okay, so it's problematic for there to be a sexiest woman alive because it's like sexualizing, blah, blah, blah.

14:14 But men still get it.

14:16 They used to be that. They used to be like hottest couple, most beautiful woman. We used to find a magazine– when I was in magazine world, you used to find a million ways to be able to basically put beautiful people on your cover.

14:27 That's all you want to do, right?

14:28 Yeah.

14:29 And we used to do, when I was at OK, we used to do these big end-of-year shoots. And again, like Dan says, you have to go through your list because you're like, well, obviously we want X, Y, Z, but they're not going to. So then you go down and it's like, hmm.

14:41 Can I put my 2027 prediction on the table?

14:43 Yes, please.

14:45 Prince Harry.

14:45 Oh!

14:47 What a good idea.

14:48 Thank you.

14:48 What a good idea.

14:49 So he's about to hit his fit man era, which is every man of that age, he's going.

14:54 To start cycling.

14:54 You're so right.

14:55 He's going to get really like cycling, sprinting, marathons. Park run. Park run.

14:59 He's going to start getting really, really fit, really into his health. And then I think we're going to get a lovely photo shoot in the In the Cotswolds.

15:08 In the Cotswolds.

15:08 Yep. Where it's just him, like there's just a hay, like just kind of.

15:12 Just posing with hay.

15:14 Oh, lying in hay with like one bit in his mouth. In his mouth, yes, with just jeans on and his little thumbs in his jeans. And he's got his shirt off and I.

15:20 Imagine he doesn't have a chest hair.

15:21 Oh, he wears a crown. Oh.

15:22 Oh, please wear a crown, Harry.

15:24 And there's a throne, but it's actually like a deck chair.

15:27 Yes. I love this. That is the best idea you've ever had.

15:30 Thank you.

15:31 And he's coming on out loud to announce it.

15:32 Yes.

15:33 Because him and Megan will be in town for MasterChef.

15:35 Because that's what he has to promote, Megan's show.

15:39 Nailed it. Nailed it. In a moment, why the word of the year is already here. I saw my first word of the year post yesterday. And I felt a familiar sense of rising anxiety. It wasn't because of this, but the word of the year so far. So there are going to be lots because every word associated brand, every dictionary.

16:03 That's where they get their relevancy.

16:05 Yeah, do this. From now, the last week of October till Christmas, we'll be announcing word of the year.

16:10 Where else do you hear Macquarie Dictionary?

16:12 Exactly.

16:13 Towards the end of the year when they pull the word. And then it's like.

16:17 Merriam's Webster dictionary and then it's like and this one is dictionary.com yeah so dictionary.com's word of the year is maxing which I think we could all see that right we've talked a lot about maxing this year I need to know how many X's are included in there were two okay got it not three Understood. It was maxing, not maxing.

16:38 Anyway, it was maxing.

16:41 And we've talked about that. We've also talked about the backlash to maxing on the show because it already feels kind of over. So I don't know, maybe dictionary.com.

16:47 They're always a bit behind.

16:48 But.

16:50 Like sexiest man.

16:51 The reason that I felt the rising anxiety is I was like, oh God, like the year is over. And it felt very familiar to me. And indeed it was because I went back and looked and in this exact week last year, October the 28th, this was. I wrote a piece about this exact feeling. That's so funny. It started, you can feel it coming. The neck tension that tells you the year has almost run out. And with it, all the good intentions that you are going to be a completely different person somehow. Calmer, thinner, kinder, wiser. Someone who's more productive yet more well-rested. Someone who exercises regularly.

17:23 parented mindfully and was MVP of the group chat. All of that was comfortably within reach in January, even in April maybe, but now it's the end of October and fuck it, it's pretty much over and here you are, still you. And I was like, this is the week of the year when I predictably have that breakdown and we all do. Why are we wrapping up the year so fast, friends?

17:43 I think everything is happening now. earlier.

17:46 So for example, Halloween on the weekend, I swear before October the 1st, I saw decorations this year and I hadn't seen that before. And so I looked it up and there is this kind of It's to do with like capitalism as everything is and stock and basically prolonging seasons so people buy more stuff. But this feeling that we have that Halloween is coming earlier, Christmas is coming earlier, then immediately there's Easter, like that is all happening and I think it makes us feel like we're constantly in a rush and there's.

18:19 A word for this which is.

18:21 The Zaganik effect which is that you literally see a Christmas tree in, I don't know, July.

18:30 And there's a part of your brain that goes, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. I have so much I need to do. Like it actually inserts itself. That's exactly what happens to me. Yes, in there.

18:39 And even if you're like not conscious of it, for the next six months, you're like, I'm in a rush.

18:43 I'm in a rush. I'm in a rush.

18:43 I need to get my Christmas presents. What are we doing for Christmas Day? I don't know if people have found this, but the Christmas Day discussions have started.

18:49 To become very urgent. It's like, what are we doing? And then it's going to be New Year's. And who's away and who's here.

18:54 Yes. It's like this rising sense of, panic and I I think last year when we talked about this I said that um I uh there's an idea in Australia that it's Melbourne Cup week that that's when the year ends that certain industries go no first week of November you're on the like run to Christmas and so don't ask anything of anyone which I'm all for it I think it gets hot I think we do like a three-day work week like I'm for it um but It does feel like that's getting sooner.

19:26 Yeah.

19:26 I call it like the dread of the Burr months, like the September.

19:30 October, November.

19:31 I feel like even whoever made.

19:32 The months in the calendar probably got bored by September and were like, let's just make all these four months like the exact same.

19:38 It'll be fine.

19:39 But I actually quite like this time of year.

19:43 I like the feeling of the end of year because it just feels like everything is getting completed.

19:48 And then the earlier we bring it, the more things... get completed.

19:51 And then by the time we're at November, December, we don't have anything to do. So we're just hanging out.

19:56 There is still eight weeks of the year left.

19:59 Yeah. That's not that many. But it is.

20:02 Imagine if you were going on holiday for eight weeks. You would be like, that is ages. Imagine if your partner was going away.

20:10 For eight weeks.

20:11 You'd be like, that's a long time. But because those eight weeks are these eight weeks, we're like, they will go by like that. The year is over. Everything is done. And I think it's interesting because from here, as you say, Jessie, we've got the word of the year post will start to come. Then it will be Spotify wrapped before.

20:28 You know it. The year in review.

20:30 It will be the year in review.

20:31 Predictions.

20:32 I already started predictions for 2027.

20:33 You have done really well.

20:36 Thank you.

20:36 I would say a very good start for you. Set the bar high. But then it's like Black Friday, which I think is supposed to be at the end of November, will start on Monday and it will just go for a month.

20:46 And it's like.

20:48 I don't know, I feel like we need to push back because it's like, I think the content gods need to get their content out earlier. So the first person who announces a word of the year gets a certain amount of coverage that the fourth person to announce the word of the year will not, right? So it's in their interests as you say about the Christmas tree, it's in their interest to make us think it's all over, you've got to go fast, fast, fast, fast.

21:10 But aren't like some things quite fun? Like if we get end of year sales now, I'm happy about that.

21:15 Which we kind of do.

21:16 If I start getting my Easter chocolate now, I'm.

21:18 So happy about that.

21:19 So isn't there an argument for prolonging joy?

21:21 I feel as though we are looking forward to have things that we're looking forward to, which we know is really good for us and like psychologically, you know, having things in the future that you're going, oh, I'm feeling a bit excited about that. Halloween, for example, I have never thought of it for so long because I knew I had to organize it with my.

21:40 Was Halloween a thing for you? Because it was never a thing for me. It was never a thing.

21:43 But also it probably wasn't a thing for you until you had little kids. Yes. Because my theory about Halloween is there's two groups of people who care very much about Halloween and have sort of forced to. And it's people with small kids and it's like young people who are going to parties.

21:57 Right yes and everyone else is like it was never a thing I remember like I remember this so specifically when I was five years old my like school had Halloween and then I learned about it and I told mom and dad you have to take me to the neighbor's so I can get candy and I knocked at a neighbor's door and I was.

22:13 Like happy Halloween trick or treat and he was like fuck off.

22:18 I knocked on a door and someone was like this isn't america and i was like oh i just wanted a lolly so your.

22:26 Point about prolonging joy is that yeah bring the lollies.

22:29 Exactly i i think that there's something to that that we're now like even in the lead up to christmas that we can there's you know all this research about how the best part of a holiday is that eight weeks before you go is where you go, I'm so excited, I'm so excited. And maybe that's what we're grasping for is to just go, oh, I want something to look forward to.

22:50 And so it's why we keep moving things forward. That's interesting because.

22:53 Even back to our previous conversation, Dan Wooten also said that they picked the man of the year because they just try and decide. I mean, I think this is bullshit. I think it's availability. But he said, we grasp the spirit of the times. What does the world need? And that was your point about doctors. The world needs a really good doctor. A calm doctor with all the answers.

23:11 And the world needs to bring the fairy lights and the chocolate forward.

23:15 All year round.

23:15 Yeah.

23:17 After the break, who are petting zoos for and should adults get out of the line? Someone on the internet has very strong feelings about who has the right to enjoy a petting zoo and it's important that we sit here now and prosecute her argument. As previously discussed, we resent having to read the usernames of people who post this stuff on the internet, but our training makes us cite their names and so it feels important to tell you all that that this comes from extra hot double shot on Mumsnet.

23:53 I think that is one of the best handles. That tells you.

23:56 Everything about Mumsnet is what it tells you.

23:58 Everything about that person that they chose that to be there. Oh, that's so good.

24:03 She has a personal grievance. You won't believe it, but Extra Hot Double Shot has a grievance. She's written, Has anyone else noticed a massive uptick in grown adults, many in late teens and 20s, going on days out aimed at kids slash young families? I'm finding it increasingly irritating. Small children have to queue behind grown adults to stroke rabbits or see tanks of fish. I must say I've noticed this and I have thoughts. That last bit was actually from me. But I totally didn't change. Em, you seem like you wouldn't mind feeding a goat.

24:37 Discuss.

24:38 I feel like if I've been in the sun and I paid and I've been standing in the sun for hours just to have hand on fur, I just want one pat.

24:47 Of a baby goat.

24:48 It's well within my right to get to pat that baby goat. And if you think your kid is going to jump in front of me Think again.

24:56 So why are you at the penning? So I guess is.

25:03 Okay.

25:04 I have a story. So on my street and I live in the city, right? And I feel like I've.

25:09 Talked about this before because I can't get over how it happened. I live in the city and on my street there's an Anglican church and it was around Christmas time and they were doing a nativity play and.

25:19 I was walking past.

25:20 I saw two angels.

25:23 Real camels. On your street. And you know how big camels are?

25:27 They are massive.

25:28 They were towering over trucks. They were like, how did they get here? And then they were like, you can pet the camels. Oh, of course. Of course you would. Let me join the line. Can I ride the camel?

25:39 I was joining the line and then these people were like, oh, are you part of this church?

25:42 And I was like, no.

25:43 And they were like, oh, do you know so and so? And I was like, no. And they were like, oh, this camel is kind of for like the families. And I was like, this camel's for everyone. It says pet the camel. I'm petting the fucking camel.

25:56 Get out of my face.

25:57 Okay.

25:57 That's the best. What is wrong with society? What do you expect, like, us to do?

26:06 Just stay inside all day?

26:08 You expect me to walk past a park and not sit on the swings? Or, like, give my swing up to your child?

26:14 You need to.

26:15 Teach your kid patience and that you have to wait in line for things.

26:18 This is a very good point. My first thought is that very often at these kind of events, When there are young adults in the.

26:28 Penny, sorry, I've lost it.

26:32 When there are young adults in the lives of Penny Zoo, those young adults are high.

26:38 Gay. Well, gay, we're calling them druggies. All right, that's what we're doing.

26:42 Because none of them feels better than having a baby goat when you're high, right? So here's my theory, is that adults don't like, parents don't like adults doing fun things around their children because little children.

26:55 Have a lot of questions.

26:57 They're like, Mummy, why is that lady.

26:58 Licking the chicken? Mummy, I thought this was just for kids.

27:03 Well, why is your child poking that rabbit's eyes?

27:05 It's not a stuffed toy. It's a real rabbit.

27:09 I think we're like, you've got your little kids, they're asking all the questions. I thought this was just for kids. What's that lady doing?

27:14 What's she wearing?

27:15 Why is she licking hysterically?

27:17 And then you've got to answer. You've got to tell them about marijuana.

27:21 It's really interesting because we're When you bring that up about playgrounds and swings, and if you're a parent and you take your kids to the playground and there's like a load of 25-year-olds. And the thing is, is I get that the young adults are just trying to be whimsical. We're always yelling at your generation to get off their phones, get outside.

27:38 Can I not have jewelry?

27:39 I don't have fucking.

27:40 You left your house, you put your phone down, you bought.

27:43 A camel, you got yoga. What else do you want from me?

27:46 You'll try. We're always saying, you know, get in touch with your play side, get a hobby, whatever. But then we're like, but not anywhere near my child. Petting shoes cannot be a hobby. What about face painting? If you know how you take it.

27:59 Oh, my God, I love face painting.

28:01 What if you take... your daughter Luna, to your local park for one of the summer festivals and there are lots of little kids getting their face painted. Can I join the line and say I want my face painted?

28:12 Okay, so I was on Em's team up until your point just now. The line to get your face painted is four hours long. Your child won't let you leave the line. It is so stressful. It's so boring being in the line. They're so impatient. If I looked ahead of me and there were six 25-year-olds, I'd.

28:31 Be like, get out of the line. I would be so irritated. Okay.

28:35 What if I was in line in front of you and Luna and I turn around and I'm like, I got this, and I take a lipstick out of my bag and I'm like, Luna, come here.

28:44 And I just draw, like, a star on her face. I'm like, you're a butterfly now. And then she'd believe me. She would believe you. Okay, that's true. And I'm giving that, like, that's a true artist.

28:53 Yes.

28:53 And I'm giving her a canvas that she will appreciate. That is very, very true.

28:57 That is great because you're probably the 25-year-olds who, as discussed, probably stoned, are going to be like, I need this very intricate. Stop calling me stoned.

29:06 I'm not doing these things. full of drugs.

29:09 I know.

29:10 I just enjoy it.

29:10 I'm just besmirching your character.

29:12 I was speaking to a friend recently and they don't have kids and so we were talking on a Friday and I was like, oh, what are you doing this weekend? And he said, me and my girlfriend, we're going indoor skydiving. And I went, that is my parody of how I think you spend your weekend. Next week it will be trampolining and then it will be the action park. And then like, and I was thinking this is part of a larger trend of like, we've talked about labooboos and jellycats, yeah lego like there are now like arcades there is an extending childhood of doing, like, kid stuff, which I do find kind of nice.

29:49 Like, it's very wholesome.

29:50 And I do think that Parks, I spent a lot of time at Parks at night at 18 years old.

29:55 Like, I think that's where you went.

29:56 Oh, yeah.

29:57 Because, like, you were trying to escape your parents. And I kind of appreciate that. I mean, obviously, this woman is insane for thinking that, like, adults can't have a turn. And, in fact, the point was made. Adults, if you're at, say, the Easter show, adults, their ticket's more expensive.

30:12 Exactly.

30:13 They should be pushing in in front of the kids because they're going, I paid to be here.

30:16 Yeah, I saw a commentator saying, my adult joy is paying for your kid's subsidised ticket. And I think there's probably some truth to that. Yep. Oh, God, I just am desperate to see you in the line for a petting zoo.

30:28 Oh, my God, I can do it.

30:29 I do have to say, though, like the only time I've ever been embarrassed about kind of an adult doing kid-like activities, like I got secondhand embarrassment.

30:37 Do you remember when we were.

30:39 In COVID times and we were so stressed out about it that every time like someone got COVID, we got a list of.

30:45 Everywhere they went? Yes.

30:46 And there was that one guy and he just went everywhere and one of the places he went was a beginner's trapeze class.

30:51 Yes.

30:53 And we all just, as a nation, made so much.

30:56 Fun of that person. I thought you were going to say it was a camel petting session.

31:00 But that was the first time where I was like, maybe sometimes we should stay inside.

31:05 Before we go, I cannot stop thinking about this article I read by a guy named Tom Gill for The Guardian. He says that the email sign-off is archaic and we need to abandon it. He writes, I'm here to tell you that you don't need to sign your name at the end of an email. I can already see it's from you. I know your name. It's in my inbox, the from field, and the thread, and I probably addressed my last email directly to you. Gil also says that signing off your email regards is overly formal and it needs to be abandoned. While he's on the subject, he reckons we retire. Thank you for your email because no one actually means it.

31:41 Guys. I know my email.

31:43 This person sounds very angry.

31:44 He does sound very angry and it's for a very funny column in The Guardian where it's just like I've had enough and they just rant about something, which I appreciate.

31:52 An email in general, which we all know I have strong feelings about.

31:55 Yes, and I know I have an email signature that automatically generates.

31:59 Yes.

32:00 I can't not write Jessie before it. I can't explain it. No, it's rude.

32:03 I just have to go, my go-to is thanks so much, thank you very much, something like that, comma, jessie and i just have to write it i can't do the like just put body of email no sign off i do i think i do kind of detest when it starts with like i hope this email finds you like i find that all a bit like it never finds.

32:24 Me well like i'm pissed off i'm reading my emails.

32:26 Exactly i'm reading emails i'm not well yeah we've talked about sign-offs before and i said how i what what i sign off with will be like a symbol of how friendly we are yep Because if it's people I know, I'll just literally do an H. And if it was people I don't know so well, it's like Holly. But the thing is, not doing anything feels aggressive. Am I right about that? Because you are a person who picks up the phone without saying hello. So you might not agree.

32:54 Well, yeah, I don't agree with emails in general. Well, obviously not.

32:59 I read something that Gen Alpha, which we now have to be wary of because Gen Z are like oldies now. Gen Alpha, they're like, we're not doing emails, we're doing voice notes only.

33:07 Oh my God.

33:08 Yeah, so be expecting a lot of that.

33:10 So much time of listening to people.

33:12 But I don't like emails in general. I like a kindest, comma, end.

33:17 I don't mind kindest.

33:18 Yes, and if I'm feeling a bit slutty. mxx oh yeah.

33:24 That is kind of nice a bit flirty.

33:26 Yeah the thing is is don't we assume a lot i mean i don't do this but so many people i know use ai to write their emails right of course they do so really the thing about having these arbitrary that i have like arbitrary politeness rules like you should sign your name at the end of an email you should say hello when you pick up the phone you should say, hope you're all right. Like when I'm sending an email to someone I haven't spoken to for a while, I usually start it with, hope all's good with you. You know what I mean? And we know that these are meaningless signals about... But to me, they're like meaningless signals that recognize your humanity, like that you're a person and you're reading this. And so like, I

34:05 hope you are well. And thank you, Holly. You know what I mean? But if we just... admit that we know it's just robot talking to robot it kind of makes it all redundant.

34:14 I have a friend who's got a really fancy job and works with very fancy people and he told me that the new status symbol he thinks and he's like corporate world is when he's like the CEOs are still writing their emails like you can tell from the tone from their weird acronyms from the fact that maybe they don't use punctuation whatever it is he's like sent from iPhone sent from iPhone my goal in life is to be the type of person who is busy and important enough to have my whole email in the subject line.

34:42 Oh, yes.

34:43 Give me an example of that. And like nothing in the body.

34:47 Nothing. So literally the email will just be like, I need that thing by three o'clock. Yep.

34:51 Thanks. See you then. That's the subject line. Don't even say thanks. I don't need to.

34:54 I don't have time.

34:55 I'm too busy.

34:55 There's also robots robots.

34:57 Exactly. It's just like, I need that thing by three.

35:00 I would be, my inner rebel would be like, well, fuck you, Jessie Smith.

35:04 You wouldn't think I was just really important?

35:06 Well, for someone who gets confused with email in general, I'd freak out not being able to find the email.

35:10 Yeah, you'd be like, you sent me a blank email, kind.

35:14 Of, M. Exactly.

35:18 And M replies, yeah, M, exactly. Love ya. Subscribers, before we.

35:26 Do go, we have a great offer for you. We're giving, we've got, you know how good our subscriber is. offers are.

35:33 Oh yeah.

35:33 All the many ways that we're trying to convince you that you should become one of the best kind of outlouders, which is a subscriber outlouder. Right now, we're giving one lucky subscriber a $ 5, 000 voucher with B2C Furniture to spend online or in-store.

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36:37 Bye. Bye. Oh, dear. That's Holly's sign-off now.

36:43 Oh, dear. Oh, dear.

36:45 Oh, dear. Mamma Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast.