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Tale As Old As Your Mom

• Heather Jolley and Nicole Barr • Episode 65

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SPEAKER_04:

Been a blast, teenage dreams, beyond screens. It was all bad. Like you know, like whatever. Never never laughing, sharing, or story, forever.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Like Whatever, a podcast for, by, and about Gen X. I'm Nicole, and this is my BFFF Heather. Hello. So today we are recording a rare Thursday morning. No, I have to edit. I have to edit today. She does. This episode is is is fresh as you're gonna get it because it comes out tomorrow and we're just getting it done today. But um it just worked out well for us because we are both on staycation. Stay cation for the next five days. And uh yeah, we decided not to press ourselves on a work day and just get it done this morning. Although I really don't want to get out of bed.

SPEAKER_02:

Negative.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it figures any other day, like on a day when I can sleep, I'm awake at 6 a.m. Today my alarm goes off and wakes me up and I hit snooze three more times, and then I literally just got out of bed, brushed my teeth, did my hair, got dressed, and headed on down.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, my pants are too short. These are my home pants.

SPEAKER_01:

I know I almost wore jeans and I was like, why?

SPEAKER_02:

I know I should put a bra on today. I mean I haven't done that in two days.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, but um besides that, oh I did um here on NPR, and this is postal related, that Muhammad Ali's getting a stamp. Yes, it sounds really awesome. I haven't seen it. I did look it up. Um it's a picture of him from uh a boxing poster picture of him from 1974 in like the classic boxer pose. Um, and apparently in his uh one of his eyes it says the greatest in tiny letters on the little tiny stamp. Yeah, it sounded really cool. But I haven't yeah, I haven't looked at it. Will you get those in your office? Like do you get everything that comes out?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I was wondering how that worked. I mean, well, we're kind of every office will get them. Uh we're kind of different because we are not technically an office, we are an annex, so we don't have retail in ours, but we do keep stamps on hand. And if I ask for them, I can get them. They just send them over from the main post. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

They're really neat.

SPEAKER_02:

They have some really cool stamps out. If you go to uh the USPS dot com, you can look at all the stamps, and they have a lot of um cool stamp stuff, and then they have a lot of like um because I like I they did one with the um telescope. So you can see the different those are the ones I always buy. And then they'll have like accessories to go with it. So you can buy like totes and you know, merch. You can buy post office merch. Nice. Support your local post office, buy some stamps.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, like I said before my mom worked for the post office, so I used to get some things. Um, but the one thing that has stayed with me that one of those things every time you move, you just happen to find it. But I have four of the Elvis stamps when they first came out, and they're in the little um cloudy paper envelope. Yeah. So I just always hold on to them. But I think I got something about the Eagles once too. Maybe that we went to the Super Bowl a long time ago. Maybe not that one we watched at um your aunt and uncle's house. Yeah, yeah. I think that's when it came out, the thing that I got.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, I don't know. Yeah, if you just they've got some really cool stamps. Um, and a lot of them, I know in October we have the breast cancer ribbon, and part of the proceeds to that go towards breast cancer research. And then there's certain other ones, um, I think the manatee ones go to something. And I mean I well, because I'm required to, I'm not required, but we're supposed to carry stamps. Um, I don't have a full book right now, but um, so if you live in a rural area where your um mail carrier does not wear a uniform, chances are they've got a stamp for you. So if you need just one, I can't say we always carry a book, because I don't always have a book, but I do have uh one that I use if somebody needs a stamp that I put I throw a stamp on there. Which was funny because when I was a kid, we always had a roll carrier, um, Janet. And she drove a red Jeep and I always thought she just liked me that because if I put um coins on my mail, she'll put a stamp on it and mail it. No. Turns out that that is part of her job.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's what I was actually gonna bring up. Like back when I used to actually mail things, which I can't even tell you the last time I put a stamp on something and sent it off. Um I remember doing that. Yep. Going out and you'd put your little like 27 cents on top of your letter and boom, have a beacon the next day.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's why I keep stamps. And then I put that money in a drawer in my office in case I need to make change or whatever. So yeah, we have rural carriers care city carriers do not, so if they're wearing a uniform, they do not have to. Um, we do though. So yeah, yeah. Just put your little 78 cents now. Jeez. I know, so expensive. I hear about it all the time. No, but if you buy the forever stamps, then they're good forever. So when they go up, if you buy like the the roll, you know, or you can just suck it up and pay the fucking 78 cents.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I have a little thing of stamps in my wallet. It will just be there forever.

SPEAKER_02:

And not many people need stamps these days, but I mean Christmas time they have the Christmas ones, and you know, they're cute to put on. And they have like birthday ones, they have they have, you know. Yeah. They have some cool ones. They did have the lighthouse ones, and um one was Cape Henlopen. Oh. So the big wigs, like Postmaster General and everybody came down to Lewis to unveil them. Yeah, so that week we had to mind our P's and Q's because we had all the big wigs in town to unveil the uh the stamps at the at the Lewis at the uh Cape Henlopen, whatever that lighthouse is called.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So I try and keep those on hand too, in case people want to buy those.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Anyway, boring stamp shit.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean the boring stamp shit's better than what I have because I really I've I I've been watching too much true crime and murder lately. Like, I'm not even watching the evening news in Jeopardy. Like, I'll usually turn it off for that and I'm just like, fuck it, and I just keep it right on rolling. And I last night I was like, all right, you have to get out of this cycle a little bit because it's getting dark in here.

SPEAKER_02:

We started re-watching Stranger Things so I can do the last season because it's so long in between seasons.

SPEAKER_01:

I know. I think that's why I haven't started this season yet, because I really don't remember, and it's just a commitment. Although now I don't have to worry about football anymore, so that will help. Um that will help free up my time. Yeah, I was so pissed. Uh I we can't even talk about that. No, we can't, but I will say that like after that game, there was a Sunday night game and a Monday night game that I didn't even watch. Yeah. I was just like, I'm not in the mood for football. I don't give a shit who wins at this point. I don't even know who I'm pooling for. I guess Josh Allen. Uh I'm gonna go with the Bears. The Bears. I could do the Bears, but I would really love it's not even the Bills, although I do have some Bills fans in my life that I like and I would like to get that for them to get it, but I want Josh Allen to get it. Like he tries so hard. Yeah, but it's probably gonna be stupid San Francisco or Seattle or one of those lame teams that nobody cares about.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't even know. I uh I didn't watch it Monday. I did what did I watch the Sunday night?

SPEAKER_01:

I would say I wouldn't mind the Texans, but I don't like Texas so much, so but I do like their quarterback.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know. I'm just gonna watch it as a fan and in and out, and who cares? And yeah, that's what I'll give about. Yeah, it's it's almost because the Saturday games were good. Man, they were so good. You know, I went to bed for the Green Bay game. Oh my god. I was like, I'm just gonna go to bed because clearly Green Bay's gonna go ahead and you know, clearly Green Bay's got it. And when I woke up in the morning and checked the scare score, I was like, what? I think there was like four minutes left when I went to bed.

SPEAKER_01:

Damn it. Yeah, that made my heart happy. Yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Like I said before, the Chiefs aren't in it, so I could care less about who's didn't want it to be the Chiefs.

SPEAKER_01:

But yeah, I mean, lots of murder. And it's funny because after we talked last week about um, how would you know if your child was like gonna kill you? And where do you cross that line? And uh that night I went home and I watched one and it was like where the brother was like uh I don't know what the word is, but making his younger sister do things he never actually touched her, but right was making her do creepy things, and he ended up just stabbing the shit out of his mother. It was just he, his mom, and his sister, and I was like, damn, like it is scary. I can't imagine like your kid.

SPEAKER_02:

We um finished the Jonestown uh the one, and they didn't play the full tape at the end, but I don't know if you've ever heard the full tape of the last however long at Jonestown, but wow, is it nuts? Um so that's I've been trying to stay away from murder because my you know podcasts have all been murder related. So I was like, I so I started the pit because I was like, well, I loved ER and it's no O'Eiley. So isn't it just an extension? And yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_01:

I thought the same thing, and I loved Gray's Anatomy as did you, so I was like, all right, a medical show, and everybody's like, oh my god, it's the greatest thing.

SPEAKER_02:

I d it's exactly like every other one.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. It's it is ER. It's fine. Yeah, yeah, but I've been there, done that. I mean, yeah. So it just that one just never caught me. Um yeah, I can't think of anything else that I've been enjoying. No. It's that time of year though.

SPEAKER_02:

I made blueberry cobbler yesterday. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I've been ordering out a lot lately. Oh, nice. Yeah. That's why I'm broke. I have food to cook. I just gross. It's just that time of year, man. I just you just don't feel like doing anything. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It's cold, it's dark, and yeah. Well, I'm uh usually on my staycations, I'm like a cooking machine because I miss it so much.

SPEAKER_01:

And um, I haven't had any money.

SPEAKER_02:

Tomorrow I get paid, so tomorrow it is on.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, your lucky husband.

SPEAKER_02:

This weekend is gonna be food fueled.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm scheduled for some door dashing this weekend. Oh, good. Um, I'm gonna do daytime tomorrow, and then I'm scheduled to get my COVID vaccine. Oh. I got my flu last week because I am going on vacation in three weeks and I don't want to get sick. Um yeah. And then if I don't have reactions from the COVID vaccine, which I usually do, DoorDash Saturday. I didn't have any. Door dash Monday.

SPEAKER_02:

Um hurt. That was pretty much it.

SPEAKER_01:

I will say I got the flu one last week and I got a little bit of like chills, um, a little bit of a headache, but nothing major. I'm usually like down, like I have I'm in the heart of the flute for like 24 hours. So but I did I I've heard that when you get really sick though from it, it means your body is working like that's a good thing. Right. So this time I was like, oh, that means it's not working. Uh-oh.

SPEAKER_02:

Maybe it's just been so many years working that it's just like, got it. We got this shit.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I have only been doing it for the past several years. I was always one of those, meh, I'll just get the flu, I'll be fine.

SPEAKER_02:

Hey, you know what? The other day, what day was it? Well, Monday. Well, first of all, Monday was a crazy day at work for whatever stupid reason. And I felt weird all day. And I was like, you fucking tell me I'm gonna get the flu in my staycation, and I'm gonna tell you a whole another story. But I feel fine now, so it's fine. Good. Yeah, that would have sucked. It would. Yeah, I would cry.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I would cry for you. All right. So um before we get started, I'd like to ask you to like share rate review. Yes. You can find us wherever you listen to podcasts. All of them. Follow us on all the socials at Like Whatever Pod. Every single one. We are on YouTube at Like Whatever.

SPEAKER_02:

Killing it.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, we have a website at www.likwhateverpod.com. We sure do. And you can email us at likewhateverpod at gmail.com. You can. Um, and this just reminded me um because uh on YouTube we have like 35,000 listens of the Rocky Horror. Uh-huh. Uh the episode's actually called gender. It's just a jump to the right. Left. Left. Um and so I listened to that episode. Did you? I did. I had to go to Wilmington um for an all-day thing that I'm involved in for work. But anyway, so I was like, oh, this is a good amount of time. So I listened to it on the way up there because um it it's just getting so many listens. And I was like, I need to see what all the buzz is about. What is what is so great about it? It really is a really, really good episode. Yeah, it's very informative, lots of background information. Like we could we crushed it on that one.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

All right. Well, before we get into that, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We just have to say one second. Um, our friend Pat in fact has a book out, another book out, and he's gonna tell you all about it right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey there, like whatever Gen X friends, Pat Green here. Do you remember making mixtapes and cruising to the mall with your friends? My new novel is all about that 80s feeling. In Hearts of Glass Fade Away and Radiate, I weave a story of first love and found family in late 80s suburbia. You meet teens, Ford, and Cassie at their local mall, facing heartbreak and healing together. It's a bit like a John Hughes movie wrapped in an 80s soundtrack, both nostalgic and heartwarming. I poured all of those big emotions into these pages. If you crave the warm nostalgia of mixtapes and mall dates, this book might feel like your own high school story. Head to packreenauthor.com or barnstormerpublishing.com to grab Hearts of Glass in ebook, audiobook, or paperback. I'd love for you to join Ford, Cassie, and the whole gang. Consider it a trip down memory lane with a story you won't forget. Stay totally awesome, stay true to you.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, so this week, um this is a topic that has been coming up to me, and I started doing some research, and it actually is really relevant to Gen X. Um, but let's uh fuck around and find out about old wives' tales. I love it. Uh quickly, uh I my references um come from beatingbroke.com, britannica.com, goodhousekeeping.com, countryadventures.net, witcheslore.com, and superstitionlibrary.com, which by the way, you should check that website.

SPEAKER_02:

I was just gonna say I will be going there later today.

SPEAKER_01:

The the look of it alone is like, oh, Heather needs to look at this website. Um, but it was really fun. I went through and just Yeah, it was fun. So um so the thing that that was related to Gen X, which is not actually in the script that I saw a couple times is old wives' tales are basically gonna die with Gen X. Oh because we don't really pass those on anymore. I don't think. Not like we did, like we hardcore believed in that stuff.

unknown:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

And still do.

SPEAKER_01:

And still do. And it's funny too because I don't see myself as a superstitious person, but I'd be like, oh, yep, I do that. And it's just automatic stuff that I've just always done my whole life.

SPEAKER_02:

And we are gonna do an episode on superstitions because there's a Friday the 13th coming up. I want to say it's February, so we're gonna do a whole cool thing about superstitions too.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, yep. And I'll touch on a few superstitions here, um, but there are plenty to make another episode. I have a hundred million that I do. I know. I I at one point I googled um just old wives tales, and it was like list of a hundred old wives. I was like, Jesus.

unknown:

Hold on.

SPEAKER_01:

But that l list was useful because I was finding a lot of like 10 or 14 and they were all the same ones. So I could go down the hundred list and be like, oh, that's a good one, and then go research that. So yeah, this is definitely a compilation of a bunch of different stuff that I looked into, but it was fun. Anyway, let's get started. Let's do it. Old wives' tales are traditional beliefs that are not based on fact, they are a form of superstition or cultural folklore, often incorporating handed-down beliefs about health and medicine. Such stories and pieces of advice were likely exchanged in all periods of human history. The phrase old wives' tale, wives in this case being an archaic word for women, dates back to at least 1595. Isn't that crazy? Yeah. And Gen X is gonna kill it. Um, when it was used uh in the title of a play by George Peel, a similar term, old wives fable, was in use around 1611 when the term appears in the King James Bible. The term had a negative connotation even then. Imagine that. Women having negative connotations in the Bible. What? As the uh Apostle Paul's exoration of his disciple Timothy is translated as, but refuse profane and old wives fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. Yeah. Yeah. Take that. Yeah. Yeah. Um some stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Some scholars have suggested that the negative opinion of these beliefs in the 16th and 17th centuries was due to the influence of scientific revolution. God damn scientists. Always getting in the way. Science. God damn proof. Um during this time period, storytelling, custom, and myth were considered hindrances to hard sciences. And proven intellectual discovery.

SPEAKER_02:

Still is, sadly. Still is.

SPEAKER_01:

Vaccines. That's all I'm gonna say. Um, combine that with the inherent sexism of the age. Up all time. Um, and you have to the makings of a phrase that both discounts the fable itself and ascribes the blame to worried older women. Which we have become worried older women. We sure have. Welcome into it. All right. So the first one I went with was Find a Penny, Pick It Up.

SPEAKER_02:

This one is kind of my favorite.

SPEAKER_01:

And all the day you'll have good luck.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Good. I'm glad it's your favorite. Uh, you might have heard the saying, Find a Penny, pick it up, and all day long you'll have good luck. This little rhyme has been passed down for generations, and it's not uncommon to see people spotting a penny on the ground, bending over to pick it up with a smile. But where did the tradition come from and what does it really mean? Is there any truth to the idea that picking up a penny can bring you luck, or is it just a fun superstition? Here's a look at the origins, symbolism, and psychology behind picking up pennies for luck. Well, and here's the other thing.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, isn't it the same as like manifestation? So if you think something's gonna bring you good luck, doesn't it bring you good luck just because that's what the mood you put yourself in?

SPEAKER_01:

I feel like that is true. And when we get to some more old wives' tales as we go through, I truly believe like doing some of the things I do are going to either help or um hinder things, depending on if it's a good luck or a bad luck.

SPEAKER_02:

When you get to the end of this penny thing, I want to I I'll tell you why I don't pick them up. Okay. If they're face down.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Yep, yep. I actually just thought of that. Like, I don't think about that is in here, but as I was reading that, I was like, wait, I remember that. I know when I read that I was like, hmm. All right. So the origin of the lucky penny. The idea of a penny bringing good luck dates back centuries and is rooted in cultural beliefs about wealth, luck, and the power of small blessings. Ancient civilizations saw metals as gifts from the gods, representing power and protection. Over time, coins made from these metals came to be associated with fortune, wealth, and even divine favor. In medieval Europe, finding metal was believed to protect against evil, adding to the perception that coins were powerful, good luck symbols. Pennies, being the smallest denomination of currency, are easy to overlook, yet they still hold value. Um, that was another reason I did this one first. The poor penny. The poor pennies. R.I.P. pennies. R.I.P. pennies. And it cracks me up. Like the day they shut it down, all the businesses were like, there's a penny shortage. It's going to take decades. Decades. Well, some places are just rounding now. Yeah. Which is nice. I mean, that's how it should have been in all.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, but although I heard that last penny to get the last couple that got minted were worth big fat fucking money. And they're here. Yeah.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Came out of Philadelphia. Keep your eyes out. I forget what it has on it, but it has a certain mark on it. Like the last four. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01:

And they just throw them in circulation. Yep. That's fun. So if I worked there, I'd be like, I'm taking one of them. Um and that's for me. Uh their worth may be modest, but they represent money, prosperity, and accumulation. Because there are because they are so common and accessible, they became a symbol of everyday luck, suggesting that even small, overlooked things can have significance. Picking up a penny then is seen as a small way to attract fortune and recognize the value in simple blessings. Pennies have come to represent more than just a single cent. They symbolize small but meaningful moments of good fortune optimism and a reminder to appreciate little things. Here's what the uh the Here's what the humble penny symbolizes in terms of luck and positive energy. Prosperity and financial good fortune. Even though a penny is just one cent, it still holds monetary value, representing a small step towards prosperity. Finding a penny can be seen as a symbol of abundance, however small, and a reminder that small gains add up over time. By picking up a penny, you're acknowledging the potential for more wealth to flow your way. Positivity and a sense of gratitude. Picking up a penny can be a small but powerful reminder to look for the good in everyday life. This simple act shifts your focus to something positive no matter how small. By recognizing the penny's value, you're cultivating a sense of gratitude for small blessings, which can foster a positive mindset, like you said. Uh the power of opportunity. A penny on the ground is a moment of opportunity. It's there waiting for you to pick it up. Taking that moment to notice and seize the penny represents an openness to new chances, however minor they may be. By picking up on the opportunity, you're opening yourself up to the potential for more good things to come.

SPEAKER_02:

So I do not pick up a penny if it is heads down, tails up, because Lincoln got shot in the back of the head.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Is that where that came from? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

That's why I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because I remember that do like I'd see a penny and be like, oh, tails up. Nope.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm good. That's what I always heard. You do you pick them up heads up because Lincoln got shot in the back of the head.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And it's bad luck to pick up a penny that's tails up.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm. But I do believe the um But I might have may just made that up.

SPEAKER_02:

In my own head, I was like, yeah, you know, that clown got hit in the back of the head.

SPEAKER_01:

I do remember that I do agree with like the mindset thing though, because um someone that we used to be related to would um pick up any coin he saw on the ground, even pennies. And he was very good with money. Yes, that's true. He is living a nice life right now. So I think uh I think there's a little merit to it.

SPEAKER_02:

I think it's just eh, it brightens your day. Because you're like, ooh, look at that, a penny. I mean, and I I wonder if that's one of those that will die with us, period, because like there's no value to them to younger generations. I mean, really, there is no value to any coins or paper mobile.

SPEAKER_01:

But that's what I was gonna say. Um Do they do the kids even use the mold?

SPEAKER_02:

Money, right? It's all on electronic.

SPEAKER_01:

I actually heard a thing on NPR last week. They were talking about um how kids now everything is so electronic to them that when they get cash, it doesn't even feel like real money to them. Like it's just like whatever, and they just piss it away and they're not saving their money like well, not that we did, but that was the thing. Like you got cash, or you know, so they're getting birthday money from their grandparents, and it doesn't feel like real money to them, which is crazy. Uh it is. I will take cash in my hand anytime. Cash in the hand. It's worth two in the bush. Is that what that is? Something like that. Um, yeah. All right. So some of these I didn't write a whole lot about, they're just little things. So this one though, swimming after eating will give you debilitating cramps.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, don't go swimming after you ate.

SPEAKER_01:

That's not true.

SPEAKER_02:

I know.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh no, you won't drown if you don't wait at least 30 minutes before jumping in the pool. The doctors at Duke Health say the science behind this tale is all wet. While the body does send extra blood to aid digestion, it's not enough to keep your arm and leg muscles from functioning. You might get a small cramp, but nothing fatal. Uh pour one out for all those lost swimming minutes.

SPEAKER_02:

So I wonder how much of this is too, because on one of my podcasts they were talking about cryptids and um how, you know, most of cryptids and you know, like the Bloody Mary and all on and those tales and stuff are meant to keep children in line. So if you're out at night, the boogyman's gonna come for you. So get in your bed, or it's under your bed, don't don't get out of bed because the boogeyman's coming for you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

So I wonder how much of that so actually part of what I read is um it's believed to have started because moms just wanted some peace. And this way the kids were just sitting, resting. I'm thinking, you know, you can clean up lunch, you can get everything done, then you can sit and focus on watching your kids make sure they don't drown again. So yeah, that that is definitely a a theory that's out there.

SPEAKER_02:

Also, I don't know if we'll do this one at uh I'll I'll see.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, the next one. One that I will never give up on believing in, even though it's never proven true for me. Me too. If your palm itches, you'll receive money.

SPEAKER_02:

Now I was told as the left hand itches, you get money. But if it's the right hand, you're gonna meet somebody new.

SPEAKER_01:

I did see that in my research as well, that that is what some people believe. I had I don't remember ever hearing that. It was just, yeah, if either hand I'll be sitting there watching TV scratch my palm, like, mine itches right now. Oh my god. I better jump on the batting up. It's a missed opportunity if I don't. Um, yeah, still it's never worked. But anyway, an itchy palm has long been seen as a sign of incoming wealth. Some say the right palm means money coming in and the left means money going out. So I guess there are all sorts of different theories. Um, my left hand must always itch because it's constantly going out. Definitely money's always going out. Um, it's a hopeful belief that connects body sensations to fortune. Dermatologist would tell you otherwise. It's just an itchy hand. It's eczema. Um, there's no evidence linking itchy palms to financial gain. The itch is usually caused by dry skin uh or mild year.

SPEAKER_02:

It's probably actually the exact opposite because if your hand is itchy and you have to go to the dermatologist, you're gonna lose money. There you go. Yeah. Maybe that's why the left hand is itchy.

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe the reason this idea still circulates is because it's harmlessly optimistic. Uh after all, who doesn't like to imagine a little luck coming their way? And that's just it.

SPEAKER_02:

Like I said, I wonder how much of it is like you just it's like I think happies are just like, I just want to have a reason to not feel so fucking miserable.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. But where did it start? Who was that single person and how did it spread? Like, I'd imagine, like, I picture something like that, like somebody sitting at a poker table back in the day and their palm mitches, and then they win a big pot. And then everybody does it.

SPEAKER_02:

That's the other thing. How's it spread? That's because there was no social media and all of that, and it's all of them.

SPEAKER_01:

You basically saw the same 20 people all the time. All the time.

SPEAKER_02:

And then so it's like, how do any of these things, especially like us with like the Shazam thing, and and how does that even we all knew what we knew, and we didn't, it's not like we talked back in 1992. We weren't talking to Pat in Chicago about things, and but he knew and we knew, and how did how did that even work? Exactly. I guess you tell two friends and how it works.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, the next one, this one did used to scare me as a little kid. I chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years. I believed that hardcore when I was like five, and I was terrified to swallow my gum. Uh, while it's true that the human body can't digest chewing gum, it doesn't really get stuck in your body. The Mayo Clinic reassures us that it passes through your system more or less intact and comes out the other end. That still doesn't mean you should swallow it, but accidentally doing so now and then won't hurt.

SPEAKER_02:

And that is one of those ones that you were just we were all told that. Well, who told us that? Our parents. Well, how who told them that? Their parents. And and so, like, where did that And why'd they tell us that? What was so bad about swallowing gum? I I guess they just didn't want you swallowing it because you're not supposed to, you know, you're just supposed to chew it. And who cares if you that's the other thing. Like, who invented gum and was like, but uh don't swallow that. Put it in your mouth, chew it up, chew it up for a while unless it's red stripe, and then only chew it for two seconds, three seconds, and then just like the sugar off the outside, just put it back in there, you don't need it. But like I I hub bub. And maybe it was because we would just start shoving gum because the the taste leaves so fast. Yeah. You start shoving it in your face, to do that, and then you get a big wad, and then you try and swallow it, and then you can choke. I could see that it's a choking hazard.

SPEAKER_01:

True. Although I would like I like the big um round bubblegum balls, and they would come in like the strip pack, uh-huh, and I would chew and chew and chew, and then spit it out and take the next one.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, that that one's my mom used to chew because she was a smoker, she used to chew juicy fruit. And I love the smell of juicy fruit because of that.

SPEAKER_01:

I used to love juicy fruit and big red.

SPEAKER_02:

I like big red.

SPEAKER_01:

And sometimes I would take like a strip of big red and a strip of juicy fruit and roll it up into like a fancy little.

SPEAKER_02:

You should go directly to jail for that.

SPEAKER_01:

And then I would chew them together. That's wrong. It was so good.

SPEAKER_02:

That's gross. No. I'm sorry, we can't be friends anymore after that.

SPEAKER_01:

That's gross. Well, I haven't done it since I was a little kid.

SPEAKER_02:

Does that count for anything? You do it now and tell me about it.

unknown:

Nah.

SPEAKER_01:

Nah. All right, next old wives' tale. Human urine heals jellyfish stings. This one I still believed until I saw that it was an old wives' tale. Uh, if you or one of your loved ones gets stung by jellyfish, don't use this mythical healing technique. Peeing on a jellyfish sting won't make it feel better. Instead, the Mayo Clinic recommends removing the stinger with fine-tipped tweezers and soaking the affected area in hot water or taking a hot shower for 20 to 45 minutes.

SPEAKER_02:

Meat tenderizer. As someone who grew up at the beach in the ocean and in the bay where jellyfish are horrific here. Meat tenderizer.

SPEAKER_01:

I got attacked by one when I was or or a whole herd of them because geez, it hurt. Um, when I was in my teens, and I went um, we did not pee on it. Um, I went to the first aid stand up on the boardwalk, and they used vinegar, I think, on it. Yeah. Which didn't make it feel any better.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't think I think it's just time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. It does hurt like a bitch.

SPEAKER_02:

It does hurt like a fucking bitch. God. So now we're gonna go back in time. Not just to play with jellyfish.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, today in uh Nicole's 1984 diary. It is Thursday, April 12th, 1984. Um, and there's a little doll-looking thing up in the corner of the diary, and I decorated her hair with bows. Lovely. And I wrote goodnight on her nightgown. Of course. I know it's super cute. Sweet. All right, today was my next to the last day at Mrs. Fox's in all capital letters with an exclamation point.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank God. Just tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01:

It's all over. Like I have a one-second memory of ever being there, but apparently back then it was not cool. Um, today in school, Dawn finally came back. What? Dawn. Finally. Shoot. There were a lot of people absent in my life back then. This must have been a flu epidemic of 1984 in April. Um, in social studies and math, we had a test. I probably enjoyed that because I was a nerd.

SPEAKER_02:

Weirdo.

SPEAKER_01:

In science and reading, we saw a movie. Of course. After school, mommy and I went to Acme and got a plant. Mums in parentheses. Mums in April, too. Great.

SPEAKER_02:

But are you getting mums in April? I don't know. I think you're wrong about mums. Maybe. That's what I thought it was. But clearly you've always enjoyed plants. So true, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I wrote a lot about them too. Um, and we got a gallon of milk.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_01:

For Mrs. Fox for all the time she let me come over in the mornings. God damn it. So that was her payment, I guess, for babies sending me a gallon of milk.

SPEAKER_02:

75 cent gallon of milk.

SPEAKER_01:

She's probably like, oh, thanks.

SPEAKER_02:

Um this is because your fucking kids drink it all.

SPEAKER_01:

Probably. I've always loved milk. Um, when I got home at the dinner table, I asked dad if I could have friends over for Easter vacation, and he said yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh oh.

SPEAKER_01:

The ones I invited were Danielle and Daphne.

SPEAKER_02:

Of course, Daphne.

SPEAKER_01:

Um oh, Monday night is Danielle. Wednesday night is Daphne.

SPEAKER_02:

We gotta schedule that in.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, so yeah. So that was that was April 12th.

SPEAKER_02:

We're ending it there. Yeah, boom. To be continued. Yeah. We must we're creeping up on Easter, I imagine. She's the next one I have. I wrote very sloppily. Oh, great. We're never gonna be able to read it.

SPEAKER_01:

This 11-year-old drunk.

SPEAKER_02:

We should put a bookmark in that.

SPEAKER_01:

I know, I should, but it's more fun to sit here and try to figure out where I'm supposed to be.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, back to our episode.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. The next old wives tale we have for you is coffee stunts your growth. This was one I had forgotten about, but I do remember as a little kid being told that I would be short if I didn't drink coffee. And now I'm really tall, so maybe it's true.

SPEAKER_02:

Um I mean, I feel like kids drink a lot of coffee these days. They do. And my niece does. I know. She is small, but that's not because of the coffee.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's because she's a gymnast. Yeah, it's and that stunted her growth.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. My daughters are short, but it's genetics, so um, I don't know why. It is weird. It is weird. And then my son is very, very tall. Like much tall. He's an inch taller than me. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So he's 5'10, I'm 5'9. My son is like 6'3, and my girls are like 5'2, 5'3. Yeah, we're just across the gambit there.

SPEAKER_02:

Um Well, I'm tall. I'm t I'm 5'9. Yeah, and your sister's short. My sister's tall. Your mom's short, but your dad's tall.

SPEAKER_01:

My dad is tall.

SPEAKER_02:

My grandfather, my mom's dad was tall.

SPEAKER_01:

I think that's where I get my height. My dad's 5'10 and I'm 5'9, but my dad's dad was like 6'5. So maybe that's where my son gets his height from.

unknown:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

Your little journey into genetics.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um I did do the 23andMe and I'm waiting for my how long does it take to get back? I have they have my spit now. They're now there. Which is good news because the last time I sent one in, Ancestry, I did it and they kept sending it back because they didn't get any DNA, and I was beginning to worry that maybe I was an alien. You didn't have any DNA. Yeah, I was like, because it was three times I had, and I was like, what is happening? That's weird. Do I not have what is wrong with me? So that's the last time I was like biting my cheek to spit it in there. Like, we're gonna get some hunks of flesh here.

SPEAKER_01:

Slice your hand up and pour some blood in there.

SPEAKER_02:

Man, what do you want? My finger? I'll cut that fucker off too. Jesus Christ. But I this one they didn't send it back yet. So, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I can't wait. Um So not only does coffee not stunt your growth, most people start drinking it after they're finished growing, since its bitter taste doesn't usually appeal to kids. It's funny, the first time that I had coffee I didn't drink coffee for a long time in my early adulthood because the first time I tried it, because I wasn't allowed to drink it because it stunted my growth, my stepdad at the time would take a mug of coffee in his truck with him when he left for work in the morning, and he'd set the cup up on the dashboard with all the papers and stuff that he had up there. And I had to go to his truck to get something one night, and it was there, and it still had coffee in it, and I wanted to taste it because I had never been able to. And that was my first taste of coffee, was like day-old, ice cold coffee. Was it straight black too? Yes. Yeah, it was oh god, it was awful. So it took me a long time as an adult to start drinking coffee.

SPEAKER_02:

I since working in a restaurant, you know, my entire life, I loved the smell of coffee, but I I could not, I had tried it and I just not I couldn't even, it would get in my mouth and then I would immediately spit it back out because of the touch of the chism. And um then, you know, in the 90s, when it was cold to go to coffee shops and everybody's going to coffee, I had to have milk because they didn't even have hot chocolate at the motherfuckers. And then one day, wah wa had the mocha whatever extreme, so then I only could drink fancy coffees. And then Starbucks happened, and now I drink coffee all the time. That's quite the progression. It really is. Yeah, you live on a journey. It it's mostly cream. Yeah. It's very little coffee in there. And it's a lot of chocolate and a lot of sugar. So really it's just sugar coffee sugar milk and it's coffee. It's a chocolate, it's chocolate milk with a hint of coffee.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I love coffee now. I just I put I like a little bit of sugar and a little bit of cream, and I'm good. I can drink it black though. I can drink it anyway. It's just my preference. It's a little cream, little sugar. Um, Harvard Medical Medical School explains that the misconception comes from the idea that coffee causes osteoporosis. Uh, we now know there's no link between the two. So that was just, I think they just didn't want you drinking their coffee. That. And maybe they realized it made us hyper.

SPEAKER_02:

I was allowed to have soda, so Oh, I wasn't. But my parents aren't coffee drinkers.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_02:

My mom's drinking.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, my mom's not. Yeah, my mom drinks tea.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't like tea.

SPEAKER_01:

My dad'll drink like a decaf coffee if he goes to like Perkins for breakfast. But other than that, he's not. That is the torture of staying with them, is they don't even have a coffee pot in their house. So I have to wake up in the morning and wait hours until everybody's ready to leave the house to actually get to some coffee. Yeah, it's brutal.

SPEAKER_02:

You should get your own. The little instant stuff. I know. I think of that once I'm there. And they got them little instant things you mix.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep. I'm gonna do that. Or even just some Nescafe.

SPEAKER_02:

You know what? That's what I do. Everybody, if you want to have some delicious cold brill, I just make the instant. I just take the instant and mix it up and I have and keep it for like two or three days in the refrigerator.

SPEAKER_01:

I used to work with a um Greek woman, and she would make us these Greek coffees, and it was Nescafe almost all half and half with that. Um it's great for making coffee concentrate. Yep. And she we would just shake it up really good. You put sugar in it. I can't remember how to make them now, but oh my god, they were good.

SPEAKER_02:

If you get if you put it in a bottle and you shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it for a long time, it gets frothy and foamy, and it's how these would get. Yeah, it becomes like a foam.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, that was like the whole point to it was to get it.

SPEAKER_02:

When you add the milk to it. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Now I need to make one. Um all right, the next one. This one always made sense to me, but it's not true. Um, sitting too close to the TV will ruin your eyes. This one uh will come as a relief to anyone who spends all day staring at a screen. Sitting too close to the TV will not hurt your eyesight. The American Academy of Ethnology, the Eye Doctor Academy, um, explains that it could cause temporary eye strain, which occurs when your eyes get tired from overuse. So don't forget to rest your peepers every once in a while if you're at your desk.

SPEAKER_02:

I so I it's very disturbing to me because uh my entire life, my eyesight has been above uh like all mine was until it wasn't hard.

SPEAKER_01:

I know. I could see I was always told I had better than perfect video. Me too.

SPEAKER_02:

I could read from like hundreds of miles away. I could read it.

SPEAKER_01:

We're gonna turn left 20 miles up the road here.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I can see it coming. I can read the signs. I used to be able to write teeny, teeny, teeny, tiny, like as tiny if you get a good sharp pencil and you can get in there and get it. And then one day I woke up, couldn't see shit. Yep, yep. Exact same thing came too. The craziest thing. You just wake up one day, and it's when I talked to my eye doctor about it the first time, I was like, I I can't, I don't I always wanted glasses.

SPEAKER_01:

I had a stroke.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I always wanted glasses and never could have them because my eyesight, I was like, and then one day I just can't see. And she said it was coming, you just didn't notice it as much. And she said, The problem is is that for people with that have that kind of vision, like perfect vision, their whole lives, and then they don't anymore, it's even more difficult. Yes. Than people who that is true, who have had eyesight problems.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, because I go to the eye doctor and they're like, Oh, it's not so bad, and they write my script. I'm like, that's not correct. My eyesight is way worse than what you're saying. I can't see shit. No, I have to have my glasses on to read.

SPEAKER_02:

And now, well, and these are this is the the transit, whatever. Yep, yep, mean three. And I so my readers, and I can tell already I have an eye appointment coming up next month because I the readers are I'm starting to not be able to read. But the problem is is once when I take them off, I can't see shit. No, nothing, it's not right.

SPEAKER_01:

But I can still see far. Like I can it's not that I can see, not like I, but I can see. Like it's I can function. Yeah. But anything up close. Not can see shit. Um, or if I really am actually trying to focus on anything close or far away, I'm like, no.

SPEAKER_02:

And then you get into the and look, I'm gonna go on a Karen rant here. Then you get into these restaurants where it's so goddamn dark, and you're like, I can't see this menu. Yes. What is happening?

SPEAKER_01:

I'll wake up in the middle of the night, like just to roll over, and I'm like, let's check and see what time it is. And I'll check my watch, my my Apple Watch, and it's got big numbers on it. And I'm like, is that 314 or 311? Is it 814? Or is it 84? Did I oversleep? Like, is it dark now? I have to reach and get my glasses and look, and I'm like, oh, okay. Like, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to minute. Why'd I even need to know what time it was? Go back to sleep.

SPEAKER_02:

Is your alarm going off? No, then it's time to go back to sleep. I do the same shit. I even one time I couldn't read my watch until I had to get up and walk all the way to the kitchen to look at the microwave. And that was a waste of time because it was like in the middle of the night. Yeah. And you're like, why what's it even matter what time? Who cares? Go back to sleep. Is your alarm going off? No. Then go back to sleep.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey, it's Pat Green. Ever feel like your life is straight out of a stranger thing scene? But the monsters were people and experiences? My Hearts of Glass books have that vibe of 80s nostalgia minus epidemic organs. Set in the late 80s, Fox Valley Mall near Chicago. It's a story of Cassie, a punk rock girl, Ford, a traumatized former child model, and Jenny, a preppy dreamer, all outsiders who band together. In the middle of neon and trauma, they discover a found family where none existed before. I wanted to capture that raw Gen X truth. After all those iconic John Hughes moments, real life still threw us curveballs. If you've ever craved a story about healing from trauma and growing up with heart, this could be it. Grab Hearts of Glass, Living in the Real World, and its companion, Hearts of Glass Fade Away and Radiate, at PackGreenauthor.com or Barnstormer Publishing.com. It's available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback. Dive into an eighties time capsule with characters who feel like old friends.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. This next one I actually didn't know of till I was pregnant back in 1997.

SPEAKER_02:

I do believe in, and I'll tell you why. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And I will admit, like now, um, I don't believe it. Um, but back then I was like, um I don't want to let yeah. So anyway, cats suck baby's breath. Um, I did believe that if I let my cat into the crib, it was gonna give it my baby mouth to mouth and just suck all the air right out of it. Um uh in the nine no, in the 1700s, when infant deaths were poorly understood, cats became the scapegoat. Poor kitties. Um people noticed them sleeping their babies and assumed they were stealing their breath. The real explanation is much simpler. Cats are drawn to warmth and comfort, not to suffocating infants.

SPEAKER_02:

Are they though?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Well, my friend has a theory that all cats are out to kill you. I believe that. She'll send me a picture of her cat's face and be like, he's I'm like a them little ones are no different than the big ones.

SPEAKER_02:

They're the small.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly. I think the little ones are either even more angry.

SPEAKER_02:

They got short man syndrome.

SPEAKER_01:

They do. I have a cat, and my cat doesn't have a tail, too, so she's extra pissy. Yeah. Um, so let's see. Sudden infant death syndrome was the true culprit in many of these cases, which I feel like they still don't understand what sudden infant death syndrome is either. So that's not really a culprit. Um uh over time, this eerie belief led to fear and even harm towards cats, especially black ones. It's a haunting reminder of how fear and misunderstanding can shape folk folklore. Even now, echoes of this myth linger in some cultures. Uh, caution toward cats and infants.

SPEAKER_02:

See, in my case, because my cats do sleep on my head, because they are assholes, one of them. Um, both of them, because I woke up to one of them this morning. Um, who she is like a bag, we just call her bag of razors because that's what she is.

SPEAKER_01:

I always tell my one that I'm like, you're so soft and so sharp.

SPEAKER_02:

Um I think it's pure people like me who have allergies. And he loves to cuddle, both of them love to lay on my head. And so they That's where the heat comes out, and that's where they are sucking my breath away. Yeah. Because they are causing me to have.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that one, or if they were to accidentally lay against their face or something with the baby. Like I could see that, but they're not sucking the breath out.

SPEAKER_02:

They are because they aren't evil spirits.

SPEAKER_01:

They're not, they're perfect little creatures.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, no.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, this next one I just threw in real quick because I I didn't really realize this. I never thought of it as an old wives' tale, but um, shaving makes your hair grow back thicker, which I always believed that. I did too. But uh it makes sense. All right, just like plucking, shaving has no impact on the thickness of your hair, according to the Mayo Clinic, because shaving cuts hair off at a blunt edge, it can feel thicker and look more noticeable as it grows back in. Right, which made so much sense because like any hair, even whether it's on your face, your legs, whatever, it's going to eventually get frazzled on the end. Right.

SPEAKER_02:

But explain to me how when you pluck one chin hair, twelve come back in its place.

SPEAKER_01:

And also they multiply. I don't like shave my legs all winter because there's no reason to I don't shave mine at all ever anymore. But when I do it in the summer, it I feel like because you can't really tell I have hair on my legs right now because or I don't know, maybe because it's not that bad. I did shave them a couple weeks ago. I did not.

SPEAKER_02:

I haven't I probably haven't shaved my legs in like a year and a half.

SPEAKER_01:

But mine are all pretty, covered in tattoos, so but I feel like through the summer it really does, like as I'm shaving all the time, it comes in faster. But I feel like I don't even have any hair on my legs at all. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. In the winter, I just don't feel like it's probably just nice and fuzzy.

unknown:

All right.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, our next one. This one is um very personal and infuriating for me. Um, you know why, right? Yep. All right, the hair of the dog cures a hangover. I don't know how people do hair of the dog because when I'm hungover, the last thing I want is alcohol. Well, I think it just takes the edge off, probably. Well, just get you drunk again. Yeah. But I do believe in like greasy burgers. Yeah. Um, there's nothing wrong with a good brunch, bloody merry, but don't fool yourself. That morning after drink just delays the inevitable. The idea that hair of the dog cures a hangover first appeared in print in 1546. Wow. Right? According to the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. And it's never been true. The only cure for a hangover is waiting it out. And drinking lots of water, right? Because that's the whole point of the or electrolytes, yeah. Some Gatorade, yeah, take some Tylenol. Yeah, you it really is just a waited out.

SPEAKER_02:

I can tell you that uh, so I'm not a big drinker anymore. Used to be, but not anymore. Um and for my 30th birthday, I I probably stopped drinking when I was like 26, somewhere in there. Um, for my 30th birthday, they took me to a bar and they kept giving me shots, which is terrible. And then I ended up throwing up. And then after that, anytime I drank, I would feel I would have like one drink, and it would be like, God, I feel like shit the next day. Then I figured out it's because I drank screwdrivers and the orange juice was killing my stomach. It wasn't the vodka that was the problem. Yeah. It was the orange juice. You should have just gone to straight vodka. You'd have been better off. Went back to straight vodka because I never had hangovers when I just drank drink, drank straight vodka.

SPEAKER_01:

I remember when you were on screwdrivers. That lasted a long time. Yeah. If you had a drink, that was the only thing you were drinking. Not that you're really drinking anything. And I hate orange juice, so it's really weird. All right, next one. If your ears are burning, someone's talking about you. This one never made sense to me. Uh, since ancient Rome, people have believed that a sudden warmth or tingling in the ears means someone is talking about them. The idea adds a mysterious, almost telepathic quality to human connection. Modern science offers a simpler explanation. Ear warmth is caused by increased blood flow or temperature changes, not gossip. What? Surprise. Uh but the idea stuck because it made people feel mysteriously connected to others. The persistence of the superstition shows how much we crave connection. Even today, a sudden ear tingle might make someone pause and wonder who's mentioning their name. And then if your nose it's just somebody's thinking about you. Right. And maybe the reason this one never really resonated with me is my ears have never burned or tingled. I I don't I mean, I'm sure I've been in situations where I've been extremely stressed or extremely hot, and my ears. I can remember like being out in the ice cold as a kid playing in the snow, and you come in, your ears hurt, but everything hurt when you came inside. But I I don't I've never really had that sensation.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, here we always have the problem, and then you learn very quickly to always wear a hat when you go up onto the beach in the off season because the wind does fucks up your ears so bad.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's the only reason I'm the inside more so than the outside.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh god, and right now I got the itchy ear. Oh my god. It's the worst. It's the it is, it is. I'm on the brink of insanity with the itchy ear.

SPEAKER_01:

I get it. I've been there where you would just want to take a toothpick and just ram it up in there and start to get it. It's like behind your eardrum, yeah, and you're trying to rub like different spots, like not you know, you're like menopause.

SPEAKER_02:

Ugh. Yeah, that's a menopause. Fuck menopause. Yeah. So ladies of your ears itch, that's why. And you know the itch.

unknown:

It's in there.

SPEAKER_01:

This is one that a lot of people still believe, and it drives me crazy. Yes. Going outside with wet hair will make you sick. Will not. It will not make you sick. All right. Viruses make you sick. Duh. Um, mothers everywhere have repeated this morning for generations. Don't go outside with your hair wet or you'll catch a cold. The logic seems sound. Cold weather and dampness must surely lead to illness. Um, people once believed that the chill weakened the body's defenses, letting sickness slip in. Science, however, uh tells a different story. Viruses, not temperature, cause colds and flu. While being cold might lower your immune response slightly, simply stepping outside with damp hair won't make you sick. You'd have to come into contact with a virus for that to happen. Even though science disproved it long ago, the advice still lingers. Maybe that's because it's rooted in genuine care, the kind of love that says bundle up just in case.

SPEAKER_02:

I guess. But here's my thing. I have the thickest hair ever put on the face of the earth. You do. And when I wash my hair, because I don't blow dry it or anything, it literally, and I am not kidding when I say this, takes hours to dry. Hours. I can I have to if I take a shower and wash it like at eight o'clock at night, I will wake up with wet hair still.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

So I always am going outside without mine takes like minutes to dry. It might even still be wet from when I washed it Wednesday.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep. But there are other ones going outside without a coat will make you sick. A draft in the house will make you sick. None of it's true.

unknown:

No.

SPEAKER_01:

Viruses make you sick. Viruses make you sick. COVID makes you sick. Yes. COVID makes you very sick. Um all right, here's one that I'm guilty of. Me too. Every day. Every time. All the time. So automatic it's like breathing right now. Um, spilling salt brings bad luck. Dropping salt on the table was once considered a serious omen. In ancient times, salt was precious and symbolic of purity, so wasting it was thought to invite misfortune. Over time, people created a remedy for the supposed cure. To counteract the bad luck, they would toss a pinch of salt over their left shoulder to blind the devil. While it's purely symbolic, the ritual became a cultural habit that continues today. This superstition survived because it gave people a sense of control over fate. Even now, tossing salt feels oddly satisfying, a small act of defiance against bad luck.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, why even bother push it? Like, how hard is it to just throw it over your left shoulder and be done with it?

SPEAKER_01:

That's it. And it I mean, I will even, if I see someone else like reach and they knock the salt thing over, I pick the salt up and toss it over my shoulder. I don't do the pinch, I do the whole thing. I do the salt shaker. Do the whole salt shaker right over my shoulder.

unknown:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I why why press your log?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know, but that one feels real. It is an automatic response, too. Yes, yes, you cannot do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Like you can't do it fast enough.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, and if I'm at a table with somebody and they've done it and I'm like, I'll just stay. At that salt and be like, oh my God, we don't get in the knowledge.

SPEAKER_01:

Could you pass that salt? Oh, I had a twitch. Excuse me. Phew, no bad luck here. You're welcome. All right. We got it.

SPEAKER_02:

We're good now. I can concentrate on something else.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. Next, you can predict the sex of your baby based on your baby bump. If you've ever been pregnant, you know this one's not true and it's so annoying. Oh, you're having a point.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, if you live before the rise of ultrasound scans and prenatal testing, you had to wait until you gave birth to find out if your new family member was a boy or a girl. But that didn't stop people from trying to find ways to figure it out beforehand. Some people say that the shape of your abdomen during pregnancy is an indicator of your baby's sex, while others say it's whether you're carrying high or low. Sadly, neither of these are techniques that actually tell you anything about your baby. And I actually, when I had my first one, I remember this coming up in a conversation with a doctor. Like, I think I was probably expressing how annoyed I was that everybody was saying I was gonna have whatever. And they were like, no, it's based on the shape of your uterus. And I have a um my uterus goes backwards, uh-huh. So it's like against my back. Uh-huh. I forget what it's. I want to say an inverted uterus, but that's I might actually might be that. Maybe I don't think that's it though.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah. So I just found out, hold up. I just found out, not that if you don't care about uteruses, then don't listen. I just found out the other day that you can now donate your goddamn uterus. And guess what age the cutoff is? Fucking 50. I would have gladly. I have been asking to get rid of mine for 25 years now.

SPEAKER_01:

And I bet you have a fantastic uterine.

SPEAKER_02:

It's probably lovely.

SPEAKER_01:

It's pristine. It's been used.

SPEAKER_02:

It's a virgin uterus. That's that's pretty cool though. I but yeah, but I want to give it up and I can't, because I'm old and a smoker, so they probably wouldn't have taken it anyway. And I think it's full of fibrin. The fuck's wrong. But besides all that, yeah. It's probably perfect. And I want rid of it.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh right. This is one I've known that wasn't true for a long time. Cracking your knuckles too much can lead to arthritis. Um, and I'm living proof of that because I never crack my knuckles because I can't stand the sound of bones cracking. Like if people crack their backs or necks in front of me, it skeeves me. And so I've never cracked my knuckles and I have arthritis.

SPEAKER_02:

So I am crack my knuckles all day long. I also have arthritis, but that's just because I'm old and worked in a restaurant.

SPEAKER_01:

The only thing I've ever cracked is my big toe. And for some reason I get that sensation. I'll be walking, and if I crack one, I have to crack the other. And they crack every time, and I probably only do it like once a week, but that's the only one. Even if my own, like I turn my back cracks, I'm like, ooh. Um all right. For generations, people warned that cracking your knuckles would lead to painful arthritis later in life. The popping sound was thought to be your bones grinding together, slowly wearing down the joints. Parents and teachers alike scolded children for the habit, believing they were saving them from future misery. What's really happening though is far less alarming. The sound comes from gas bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid that lubricates your joints. Numerous studies have found no link between knuckle cracking and arthritis assures Tufts medicine. The worst that can happen is mild swelling or reduced grip strength if done excessively. Still, this old wives' tale persists, partly because the sound itself is unsettling. It's a perfect example of how something that sounds bad can easily become a health myth passed down for decades. Interestingly, even today, many people still cringe instinctively when they hear that familiar pop. That would be me. Next, this is one I had never ever heard of, but I saw it multiple times on different lists. So I was like, somebody must, and maybe it's a southern thing. I'm thinking. I don't know, because eating watermelon while drinking alcohol is dangerous.

SPEAKER_02:

But don't they like cut a hole in a watermelon and slam a bottle of vodka? There's a song, The Watermelon Crawl, I'm pretty sure that's about boosted.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, what exactly is meant to happen varies from teller to teller, but this old wives tale suggests that consuming watermelon while or immediately after drinking alcohol can cause anything from an upset stomach to death. Although although there is nothing to prevent such misfortunes from befalling you while partaking in this combination, there is no dangerous chemical reaction between watermelon and alcohol. Some people even make wine from watermelon. So yeah, I just threw that one in there because I hadn't heard of it, but hopefully someone listening has heard of it and can be like, yeah, I did hear of that. All right, next one. All right, so this is a little variation on it, just because it looked different is why I picked it. But it eating carrots improves your eyesight in the dark. I remember hearing it improved your eyesight. Um, while the exact origin of this old wives' tale is unknown, it was popularized by the Royal Air Force during World War II. After the Allied powers made secret advancements in radar technology, British pilots needed an explanation as to how they were able to shoot down German aircraft in low visibility, claiming that their military successes were all thanks to carrots, helped hide the technological innovation while uh encouraging healthy eating at home. Unfortunately, carrots will only noticeably improve your vision if you are deficit in vitamin A. That's a good idea. They do turn your skin orange though. They do. They do that to babies. I had an orange baby. My baby liked the orange foods, and he turned orange a lot. Um, but yeah, I thought that was really funny that they were like, oh, well, we can see you guys at night because we eat carrots. Um, all right, here's here's one for you. Plucking out gray hair will encourage more gray hairs to grow.

SPEAKER_02:

100% not true. I know this from personal experience. You get one every two years. And I pluck that bitch right out of my head. And nothing comes back. I do not have gray hair.

SPEAKER_01:

Nope. According to University of Arkansas uh for medical sciences, physician sh shank uh creative. Uh, this idea has no grounding in science. As she said to the UAMS health blogger, plucking a gray hair will only get you a new gray hair in its place because there is only one hair that is able to grow per follicle. Your surrounding hairs will not turn white until their own follicles, pigment cells, die.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know why I don't have gray. I have some. I do have some gray hair, but they're not noticeable. You cannot tell I have any gray hair. There's like one strand every also because I have ridiculously thick hair. This also could be it. Like normal people might have this many gray hair and their whole head is gray, and meanwhile, it's like not even a quarter of my head because I have so much hair.

SPEAKER_01:

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_02:

That's why I just thought of that just now. I was like, you know what? I probably do have a normal amount of gray hair. I just have way more other hair.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, our next one. Touching a toad gives you warts. I don't know that I'd ever discounted this one. I th I kind of always thought that would happen. I just don't touch toads because they're gross. Well, yeah, I didn't touch toads because I didn't want to get warts. Um, generations of children were told to avoid toads because they could give you warts. Their bumpy skin made it an easy assumption, and the tail became one of the most widespread animal myths. But warts come from a virus, not a toad. Uh specifically, they're caused by human populom virus. Popnolom HPV. Um the bumps, the bumps on the toad skin are glands that secrete toxins for protection, not contagious gross. This belief stuck largely because it looked believable. The toad's rough skin mirrored the appearance of warts, making the connection seem obvious at first.

SPEAKER_02:

Also, don't lick toads. It's only a certain toad that has that'll get you high. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Don't lick toads.

SPEAKER_02:

Don't just go around licking toads. It's gross. They don't like it either. Ask for permission. It's all about consent. They don't like you doing it, so don't do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. This is another one that I still practice. Me too. Opening an umbrella indoors is bad luck. It just doesn't feel right. Nope. I could be standing in the pouring rain and I will take my umbrella down before I step inside. I'm not taking it in that way. Uh, this superstition gained momentum in Victorian England during the 19th, 18th, and 19th centuries when umbrellas were both symbolically and practically associated with protection. Indoors opening such a device was considered an affront to the domestic gods or guardian spirits, implying that the home was not safe, which symbolically invited true danger or misfortune. Further, early umbrellas had metal spokes and rigid mechanisms that could pose an actual threat in small indoor spaces. Over time, these practical concerns merged with symbolic interpretations rooted in European folklore. The belief may also reflect broader 19th century anxieties around maintaining luck and order in the home amidst uh increasing urban clutter and social change.

unknown:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

I never put that much thought into it. I just think it's bad luck if you open it. Just don't do it. Yep. All right, the next one, the lucky rabbit's foot. Um so there are some reasons why rabbits uh are considered lucky. One is fertility, because I owned rabbits once and they really do. Like literally, she gave birth and was pregnant incidentally. We thought we had two males. We did not. Um, some carry rabbits' feet charms with them because they associate rabbits with fertility due to their fast-paced breeding. Um, they're also thought to bring good fortune. The severed left leg of a rabbit symbolizes luck because rabbits are believed to be connected to witchcraft.

SPEAKER_02:

How do you know it's the left leg?

SPEAKER_01:

Don't they look the same? Yeah. I don't know. Good. Uh bountiful harvest. The ancient Celts fear rabbits because of the long time they spend around under the ground. But for the very same reason, they also revere the creatures for their strong connection with nature, gods, and spirits. That's why a rabbit's foot charm is believed to attract a bountiful harvest. The funny thing is, bunnies eat your harvest. So I don't know where that comes from. Um also they are clever and self-develop for cleverness and self-devotion, Japanese mythology deem rabbits to be clever beings and as such associate rabbits' feasts with intelligence, clarity, and confidence. Some believe that the rabbit's lucky foot has some connection to Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. However, this isn't true as the rabbit has been worshipped in even in ancient times. It's likely that, like many other Christian symbols, this too was adopted by Christianity, possibly to make it easier for pagans to relate to the new religion. Of course. This is another one I do. Yep. Always knock on wood to avoid jinxing yourself. Um the knocking on wood superstition is used to avoid tempting fate. For example, if someone says, I've never broken a bone, knock on wood, they'll physically tap on a wooden surface. Or your head. Yeah, if you don't have any wood around, knock on your noggin. Uh the belief is that this gesture will protect them from jinxing their luck. This practice is common in countries like the United States, the UK, Germany, and even parts of Latin America. Um let's see, the origin of this ritual is unclear, but several historical theories exist. Celtic druids, um, the ancient Celts believed spirits or gods lived inside trees. Knocking on wood was a way to summon their protection or show respect. In German folklore, some believed evil spirits could hear your words. Knocking on wood would block them from listening or scare them away. The Christian adaptations, some trace it to the wood of the cross symbolizing divine protection. See, the other two sounded cool. Yeah. Christians have to make it sound so interesting. While the exact roots remain debated, all theories highlight wood as a sacred protective medium. I get that. Yep. All right, so that's that's my old wives' tales. I loved it. Thank you. I loved it. Like I said, there are many, many more. Um, I just picked ones that I had mostly heard of um or that I mostly abide by. Um, but yeah, it was pretty neat. So if you're, you know, if you enjoyed this and you want to read about some more, there are tons more that you can go online and look up. Yeah. So cool.

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm. All right, everybody. Thanks for listening. Thank you. Uh, like, share, rate, a review. Please. Find us where you listen to the podcasteroonies. Uh-huh. Follow us on all the socials at like whatever pod. Can send an email about your favorite wives sale. Please. To likewhateverpod at gmail.com or don't like whatever. Whatever. Bye.

SPEAKER_05:

Like whatever.

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Heather Jolley

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Nicole Barr

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