Listener Stories: Vol. 80
Stories:
1: Birthday Holy Water / my adopted ghost cousins - Jack (They/He)
2: Communication thru kid's toys - Jill (She/Her)
3: The Time I Drove Through A Ghost - Jess (She/Her)
4: The Time I Watched my Son Die Twice then Took him out for a Porterhouse Steak - Amber (She/Her)
5: A bunk bed, a rosary, and Bob's Burgers with an eerie twist!!! - Gossip Goblin Chiara (She/Her) gemini supreme
6: Bagel bites blip for listeners stories - Tara (She/Her)
It's our birthday month and Eva told us this is a redemption episode from last year's birthday "surprise"... can you guess the theme? We've got some great, creepy stories to help celebrate us, and all you fellow Geminis out there, everything from a birthday ghost hunt to haunted kids' toys to a chance Vegas encounter with one Mr. Bagel Bites. Happy Gemini Season, everyone! And that's why we drink!
Transcript
[intro music]
Christine Schiefer: Happy birthday. Happy birth... Wait, is that how it goes? It's, wait, ha...
Em Schulz: You mean happy birthday to yah. No?
Christine Schiefer: I don't know, we sang one at school that was really weird. And it was like, happy birthday, it's your birthday, happy, happy birthday to you.
Em Schulz: Oh. That was...
Christine Schiefer: But I might have made, I also might have invented that. So anyway, happy birthday Em.
Em Schulz: Happy birthday. I was trying to think of a song I know to serenade to you, but I, you, you got it. You nailed it. Uh, happy birthday, I'm glad you sang it not me. And what do you think your flavored cake is going to be this year? Because we haven't gotten to eat them yet.
Christine Schiefer: Oh. Blaise said he's already planning it and I don't know.
Em Schulz: Oh my God.
Christine Schiefer: Yes. He already knows, he already, apparently... So remember at our Bogart's Show that that cake we received.
Em Schulz: Mm-hmm.
Christine Schiefer: That beautiful, from Lulu's.
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: Uh, Bakery, and apparently the woman who runs it remembered that I had gotten Leona's first birthday cake there. And so Blaise has already reached out to get my, my birthday cake there, so...
Em Schulz: Aww.
Christine Schiefer: But I don't, I don't know the flavor though. So I'm kind of excited, but I'm guessing maybe, hmm I guess...
Em Schulz: I mean would it be the same as Leona's cake and our cake?
Christine Schiefer: I can't remember. [laughter]
Em Schulz: Okay.
Christine Schiefer: What I got. What about you? I don't know, I don't even know what.
Em Schulz: Uh...
Christine Schiefer: White raspberry, maybe something like that.
Em Schulz: Raspberry for a cake?
Christine Schiefer: White raspberry. Yeah. No?
Em Schulz: Of course you'd pick something...
Christine Schiefer: It's not that weird.
Em Schulz: It's not like chocolate, you know?
Christine Schiefer: Well, yeah. I mean, it's not 'cause it's not chocolate, but...
Em Schulz: It's, it's, it's refined, it's refined. It's not like a birthday party cake.
Christine Schiefer: Well this is like a... I mean, yeah. I mean, oh my gosh. Fine, then what's your cake gonna be?
Em Schulz: I mean you're gonna get equally upset with me because...
Christine Schiefer: Ooh, wait, maybe red velvet. Sorry, I just looked at her menu. I fucking love red velvet.
Em Schulz: I can't stand red... You and I our tastes are just crazy.
Christine Schiefer: God, what is going on? I thought maybe that one we'd agree on.
Em Schulz: Uh, my mind was blown way too late in life when I was told it's just chocolate, but I...
Christine Schiefer: It's like extra chocolate with red food coloring.
Em Schulz: But I feel like I can taste the red food coloring or something.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah it does.
Em Schulz: And then maybe I can but...
Christine Schiefer: Sometimes it does have a... Yeah, sometimes it has a weird flavor if they put too much, but...
Em Schulz: I feel like you gotta like to, to make something brown look that bright red, there has to be so much food dye in there.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah there, there is. Have you made it? Well, obviously not, you don't like it.
Em Schulz: God, no.
Christine Schiefer: But I've made it and it you put a lot of red food coloring in those things, umm.
Em Schulz: I feel like I'm just caking my... LOL caking my stomach with like red dye.
Christine Schiefer: It is, you are.
Em Schulz: Umm.
Christine Schiefer: And you're probably gonna have hives afterward, but it's worth it.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Umm, no. I think at this point when it comes to my birthday, there's one thing that Allison has nailed down at this point, which is cake.
Christine Schiefer: I like you said, there's one thing Allison has nailed down. [laughter]
Em Schulz: Well, there's one thing that like with confidence, I know there like I don't have to worry 'cause...
Christine Schiefer: Mmm.
Em Schulz: Like when it comes to like, like presents, like, she's always worried about if I'm gonna like the presents or I'm always worried about like what's gonna, like what, what are the plans? I don't know. But if there's something that both of us know unspokenly, it's that the cake is fucking handled. And, umm, I'm assuming at least if she tries to like switch gears on me all of a sudden I'll be really thrown. But she makes these cupcakes that are so fucking good and they're like oversized cupcakes. So they're extra big.
Christine Schiefer: Oh hell yeah.
Em Schulz: And she tie-dyes them.
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp]
Em Schulz: So they're like bright, I mean it's just so crafty. And she makes like the chocolate frosting, I think at one point she made it from scratch, which was very lovely. And it wa... It's not that it was bad, but I'm just trash and like out of a can.
Christine Schiefer: Mm-hmm.
Em Schulz: So it ends up working out better for her anyway 'cause it's less work. But it's like these bright, like bright neon tie-dye cupcakes with chocolate frosting on them. Oh my god. So good.
Christine Schiefer: Oh my God. That sounds amazing.
Em Schulz: They're so good. But so that's like the one thing that like, I don't have to worry, I know I'm gonna fucking like the cake. I don't have to pretend.
Christine Schiefer: Well how do you feel about, how do you feel about carrot cake?
Em Schulz: Uh, I was the weird kid who liked carrot cake.
Christine Schiefer: I love carrot cake, but we're not surprised by that. [chuckle]
Em Schulz: Oh, well I liked the cake part, I, and maybe this is also why I can't stand red velvet.
Christine Schiefer: Oh cream cheese frosting. That's why I like both of those 'cause I fucking love cream cheese frosting.
Em Schulz: Yeah, I just scrape it off.
Christine Schiefer: Oh, it's the... I'll eat it. [chuckle]
Em Schulz: It in my mind if you're having... If red velvet truly is just chocolate cake why would you put cream cheese on chocolate cake? Why don't you put more chocolate frosting on it.
Christine Schiefer: 'cause it tastes so good together.
Em Schulz: You're wrong my friend.
Christine Schiefer: You are... Need to sit down. [laughter]
Em Schulz: I mean, I, look I'll, uh, you can have all the cream cheese frosting you want. I really do think, like in the world of like friends can only be friends if like they compliment each other's food pallets.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: Like then we've nailed it because you can have all of...
Christine Schiefer: We... Yeah.
Em Schulz: My stuff and I can have all your stuff and we never have to fight on food except when we're judging each other.
Christine Schiefer: I love that for us.
Em Schulz: How, why are you drinking this, on this month? Birthday girl.
Christine Schiefer: Wow. Why? I mean, I don't know. Happy Pride, there's so much stuff to celebrate in June.
Em Schulz: Are you gonna go do anything for Pride?
Christine Schiefer: It's... Umm, you know, probably, but I never really plan these things in advance I just see them on Instagram and then attend. Umm.
Em Schulz: Oh, your little baby is gonna look so cute in Pride outfit.
Christine Schiefer: I know.
Em Schulz: In pri... Pride outfits. Umm.
Christine Schiefer: What are you doing this month?
Em Schulz: Ugh, I'm getting my veins ripped out of my legs.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Eww! Gross. You're disgusting.
Em Schulz: Umm, so I honestly, and, and this is, we're recording this early enough on that I haven't started panicking about what that actually means. Umm, so like, it's fun to talk about right now, but when this comes out I'll probably be like just petrified. Umm, but I, I wonder they say it's outpatient and I'll apparently be fine the next day, but in my mind I'm like not gonna be able to walk for a month. So somewhere...
Christine Schiefer: Oh my God. [laughter]
Em Schulz: Somewhere in the middle is where I plan to be.
Christine Schiefer: What happens if you actually get like a, like a, you know...
Em Schulz: What?
Christine Schiefer: Like what happens if someday you get like a full like brain surgery or something, you're gonna be like beside yourself?
Em Schulz: I like to think, you know how like a bunch of people with anxiety were like, were stressing over technically nothing and then all of a sudden the pandemic hit and they were like, "I've been waiting my whole life for this."
Christine Schiefer: I knew this would happen. Yeah, that was me for sure.
Em Schulz: Maybe if, if something ever that drastic happens, fingers crossed that never happens. But I'd like to think that, uh, I'm already dealing with so much.
Christine Schiefer: You be like, "I knew it."
Em Schulz: So much like health anxiety that like...
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: I can't imagine it getting higher. So, you know.
Christine Schiefer: Okay, that's fair point, fair point. Umm.
Em Schulz: Umm, but yeah so...
Christine Schiefer: Let's hope it never gets there. Let's just say that.
Em Schulz: My, so my legs are not having a, a happy June. But everything else, I think I'm doing good, I have some friends coming into town.
Christine Schiefer: Fun.
Em Schulz: Yeah, it'll be fun. I'm a little nervous because one of, one of my friends coming to town is like bringing her sister who I was never particularly close with. So now, I feel like it's not just like two friends hanging out, I like feel like I need to impress or something, like I need to put on a show. So I'm just...
Christine Schiefer: Just put your Webbys out on the table.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Oh, these old things?
Em Schulz: Oh these, I'll leave one in the bathroom. I'll like J-Lo or something. Doesn't she like...
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Have a Grammy or something in...
Christine Schiefer: Yeah. I've heard that. Yeah.
Em Schulz: I've thought about doing that in the bathroom, but then I also think about all the particles that come out of a potty.
Christine Schiefer: Ooh, good point.
Em Schulz: It's like don't... I don't need to do that. Umm.
Christine Schiefer: And it's kind of bouncy you'd be just be springing the germs everywhere.
Em Schulz: Yeah, yeah. It's a lot. So anyway, happy Pride to all of my, uh, little queer folks and their supporting allies.
Christine Schiefer: That's right.
Em Schulz: And, uh, happy June. Happy birthday.
Christine Schiefer: Happy... Happy birthday. Why did you say that last? That should be first, above Pride and everything else.
Em Schulz: You're right. Happy birthday.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Umm, editor...
Christine Schiefer: We'll...
Em Schulz: Cut these all out. No. [laughter]
Christine Schiefer: No, don't. Alright. Here's the thing, Eva told us that she's only going to say one thing and then she paused for a long time to the point that I thought her camera was frozen.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: And then Em and I were like, "Yes?" And she said, "I've... " What did she call this?
Em Schulz: She said this is...
Christine Schiefer: A redemption from last birthday episode, which like, I don't recall at all. And she said...
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah, this's what she said to me. I go, "Oh, I don't really remember." And she goes, "Yeah, I didn't think you would remember." She didn't say it in that tone of voice, but that's how I absorbed it and I was like. [chuckle] "Hey, fuck you."
Em Schulz: So she...
Christine Schiefer: But really not, 'cause I absolutely don't remember and Eva is correct.
Em Schulz: I think, uh, yeah, apparently she did something.
Christine Schiefer: Do you remember?
Em Schulz: No! Why on earth would I...
Christine Schiefer: Oh, my God. Was it Scorpios?
Em Shulz: Oh, Eva. Was it?
Christine Schiefer: Oh.
Em Shulz: If it was...
Christine Schiefer: Maybe...
Em Shulz: So maybe these are gonna be all Gemini stories.
Christine Schiefer: Maybe. They fucking better be, Eva.
Em Shulz: That was a slick little...
Christine Schiefer: Oh, she said, "He, he, he." Okay. So yeah, I do remember Eva, take that.
Em Shulz: That was a sneaky little trick that she pulled on us for our birthdays, we were forced in pub... Publicly to read multiple Scorpio stories. Umm.
Christine Schiefer: I remember.
Em Shulz: But yeah, okay.
Christine Schiefer: So...
Em Schulz: So Gemini redemption this year.
Christine Schiefer: It must be. But I mean, I don't wanna get my hopes up but it sounds like it...
Em Schulz: Maybe it's just everyone but Scorpios.
Christine Schiefer: Maybe just... Yeah, may... Oh, maybe. Umm, or maybe it's just bad stuff about Scorpios. [laughter]
Em Schulz: Uh-huh. Every Scorpio has turned off our show.
Christine Schiefer: No, they've... You know Scorpios, they've turned up the volume and they're just getting madder and madder.
[chuckle]
Em Schulz: True. They're like, "Say it, say it louder, say it louder so I can hear it."
Christine Schiefer: Yeah, yeah.
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: They're like, "Come at me." But Eva did say I should go first.
Em Schulz: Okay.
Christine Schiefer: So I will go ahead and read the first story.
Em Schulz: Cool.
Christine Schiefer: This is called Birthday Holy Water/My Adopted Ghost Cousins.
Em Schulz: Ooh okay.
Christine Schiefer: Just let that one percolate for a moment.
Em Schulz: I don't think my brain will ever.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Get there, so I'm just gonna let you...
Christine Schiefer: Me neither.
Em Schulz: Steamroll through it.
Christine Schiefer: Great. "Happy birthdays. My name is Jack and I use they/he pronouns."
Em Schulz: [Gasp] double pronouns!
Christine Schiefer: Double with the they first, how fun, how spicy.
Em Schulz: I love it.
Christine Schiefer: You're gonna love it more. "I'm also a Gemini and share a birthday with Christine." Yay.
Em Schulz: You know what I love about... You know what I love about double pronouns and Gemini?
Christine Schiefer: Hmm. Twinsies.
Em Schulz: They're twinsies. Yeah, you got two personalities...
Christine Schiefer: That's right.
Em Schulz: And they have different pronouns. Crazy.
Christine Schiefer: I don't think anyone else besides Gemini should be able to use double pronouns.
Em Schulz: Okay, that's a statement that...
[cackles]
Em Schulz: I'll back you until...
Christine Schiefer: It's June, I can say that.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Just, I'm just kidding...
Em Schulz: Well, I'll back you until we get in trouble and then I'll act like I never heard you say it before.
Christine Schiefer: And then you'll be like, "She's so sick in the head, that...
Em Schulz: I'll...
Christine Schiefer: That Christine."
Em Schulz: I'll be like, "Whaaat?"
Christine Schiefer: Let's cancel her.
Em Schulz: I'm like, "She's crazy. Don't listen to her."
Christine Schiefer: She's so crazy.
Em Schulz: She's a Gemini, she doesn't get it.
Christine Schiefer: What do you expect?
Em Schulz: Mm-hmm.
Christine Schiefer: Umm, okay. So Jack uses they/he pronouns. "I'm also a Gemini and share a birthday with Christine." Happy birthday, Jack. "I have listened to And That's Why We Drink since 2018 while working in a haunted building. This is the story of the ghosts that haunted my grandmother's house and how I was given holy water as a birthday gift.
Em Schulz: Hmm. Okay.
Christine Schiefer: "My whole life, one of my uncles and I have refused to walk through my grandmother's dining room because it gives us the heebie-jeebies. As a little kid, I would play with imaginary friends that I only saw at her house." That's not a good sign. [laughter] And their names were Paul and Sarah.
Em Schulz: Oi.
Christine Schiefer: "I also often talked about how there were monsters in my grandmother's closet, but it was okay, quote "because they were my friends." Oh, no.
Em Schulz: Ay. Okay. So far...
[chuckle]
Em Schulz: Ay. Okay, keep... Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Christine Schiefer: "Around my 16th or 17th birthday, on June 4th by the way, if anyone is wondering.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: My grandmother and I invited some paranormal investigators to her house." That's what I wanna do for my birthday. "A few years before my grandmother made a family tree of people who had lived in the house before her. The ones that are important to this story are an old man who died of a heart attack at the dining room table, and a family with kids named Paul and Sarah."
Em Schulz: Bye.
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] "Who had died as adults but had lived there as children." So that's really interesting, it's like they die... They lived their whole lives, but then their spirits stayed as kids in the house.
Em Schulz: You know, I've... Umm, my... One of my grandpas passed recently. Well, both my grandpas passed recently. But, umm, one of them I've talked to via dowsing rods.
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp]
Em Schulz: And I was saying like, "Oh, do you still look like... "
Christine Schiefer: Hmm.
Em Schulz: "My 97-year-old grandpa?" And it like flung, "No." It was like...
Christine Schiefer: I've heard that.
Em Schulz: And I was like, "Oh, like do you look... " I was trying to guess the situation 'cause I, I said like, "Oh, are you in your 30s, in your 40s, in your 50s?"
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: And I guess he looks like he did in his mid-40s. And I was like, "That's interesting." 'cause I feel like you would wanna pick the time you felt like the healthiest or the happiest, and that's when they...
Christine Schiefer: And maybe that is it.
Em Schulz: And that's when they s... And that's when they swung open. So I wonder...
Christine Schiefer: Oh, I love that.
Em Schulz: So I wonder if that's just, they had really good memories there as kids?
Christine Schiefer: Maybe that was like their best time. Yeah.
Em Schulz: Yeah, yeah.
Christine Schiefer: That's really beautiful. "We started in the living room where we ended up getting the least amount of activity. One of the investigators had his ponytail pulled and we heard an old man's voice say, "Help" on the ghost box.
Em Schulz: Hmm.
Christine Schiefer: We also noticed that my grandmother's lap was 10 degrees colder than the rest of the room, but we couldn't figure out why." [laughter]
Em Schulz: Hmm, was someone sitting on her?
Christine Schiefer: I was like, "Is it a cat or something on her lap, I don't know." Maybe, like a ghost cat.
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: "It was always like that, she had to use a blanket while I was hot sitting just over a foot away. We moved from the living room to my grandmother's bedroom, as soon as we sat on her bed the ghost box said the name Paul, I have included a picture of this too. We noticed her closet was colder than the bedroom, we started talking with the ghosts using dowsing rods and found out that Paul and his little sister, Sarah, were still in the house."
Em Schulz: Mm-hmm.
Christine Schiefer: "We also figured out that they loved my grandmother and often sat on her lap while she watched TV."
Em Schulz: That's so sweet.
Christine Schiefer: That's really sweet.
Em Schulz: But also...
Christine Schiefer: And also terrifying.
Em Schulz: I know, imagine being grandma and you're just terrifying to watch your stories and all of a sudden your lap gets cold and you're like, "Ah!"
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: And then it's like you've an ice pack on your crotch for some reason.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: "After talking to them for a bit, we discovered they were most active in her closet. They also said that they felt weak and scared and ended up somehow leaching energy from my grandmother and causing her a lot of fatigue. We helped them cross over and since then my grandmother has a lot more energy."
Em Schulz: Aww.
Christine Schiefer: "Before the... " I know, that's really sweet. "Before the investigators left, the leader ran out to his car and came back with a bottle and handed it to me as a birthday gift, it was holy water." I like usually it's like a bottle of tequila or wine.
Em Schulz: Yeah. [chuckles]
Christine Schiefer: But like, nope, it's holy water. "Since I was so sensitive to the paranormal, I like to think that this is still true as I often predict small events and get texts or calls from people, I'm thinking about just a few seconds later, especially my grandmother."
Em Schulz: Hmm.
Christine Schiefer: "But maybe that's just my anxiety."
[chuckle]
Christine Schiefer: "Happy Gemini season. Love you, Jack." And then there's a follow up that says, "Crap," I forgot the photo. Sorry, I have ADHD here it is. Uh, and it is an image of, uh, the Ghost Box saying, "Paul."
Em Schulz: Oi.
Christine Schiefer: Creepy.
Em Schulz: Wow. Well, I... At my dad's house, we also have, umm, two ghosts that can't leave the property, and my... I used to see it when... Up until I like hit high school.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: And then I was like, "Oh, maybe I... " You know, maybe that I was dreaming or I made it up or something. And then my stepsister's kids, they were little and they came over.
Christine Schiefer: Oh.
Em Schulz: And they started talking about someone that I couldn't see anymore.
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] So you...
Em Schulz: And I was like ooh...
Christine Schiefer: Grew out of it sort of.
Em Schulz: Yeah, ain't that funky.
Christine Schiefer: How weird is that. Yeah.
Em Schulz: Anyway. Oi, yeah. Pe... Whenever there's a ghost that in your house and you get confirmation that like, "Oh, the people you've been hanging out with in the area are like, aren't real." That's oh, it's so creepy.
Christine Schiefer: Ooh. I don't like it.
Em Schulz: It's... Well, thank you... You said Jack, was their name?
Christine Schiefer: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Em Schulz: Thank you Jack, so...
Christine Schiefer: Thank you Jack. And happy birthday.
Em Schulz: We've got a, uh, another, uh, writer, I don't know. First-time writer, we'll see.
Christine Schiefer: Another writer? Oh, oh, oh.
Em Schulz: I don't know somebody who wrote in I've... My brain exploded for a second.
Christine Schiefer: Is this your first time here welcome to the show, Em.
Em Schulz: I think So. Uh, this is Jill, who's uses she/her pronouns, thank you for normalizing pronouns. And the subject line is "Communication thru kid's toys." So...
Christine Schiefer: Oh no.
Em Schulz: It's a firm pass for me.
Christine Schiefer: Mmm.
Em Schulz: Umm, "Hello Eva and the And That's Why We Drink family, I have quite a few paranormal stories, but never wrote in because I didn't think they were interesting enough. But as soon as Christine shared her ghost playing with her toy cellphone story." That was in New Orleans, right?
Christine Schiefer: Oh, yeah. Yes. No, it was in, uh, Knoxville, Tennessee of all places.
Em Schulz: Oh, Knoxville. Uh, "I had to write in to share with her and all the other parents that have to experience this." Oh, so you're part of a, an elite group, now Christine.
Christine Schiefer: Uh-oh I didn't want, I didn't consent to this. I don't think.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Maybe I did by having a child actually, probably.
Em Schulz: Absolutely. The second you have a kid you are committing to, creepy, creepy.
Christine Schiefer: I knew what I was getting...
Em Schulz: Creepy things.
Christine Schiefer: I knew what I was getting into, but I also love it secretly, not so secretly.
Em Schulz: "My home was built in the 1840s and is in the smack middle of farm country."
Christine Schiefer: Ooh.
Em Schulz: "There are more buggies and horses on my road than cars, it's also walking distance from the local church and graveyard. I've had experiences since we moved in in 2018, then, uh, they always happen in the same area of the house, the kitchen and the rooms adjacent to it." Okay. "For example, the kitchen door to the mud room likes to slam on its own."
Christine Schiefer: No. Uh-huh.
Em Schulz: "I actually told one of my coworkers in 2020 when we all worked remote to check in on me after every hour." Oh no after...
Christine Schiefer: Oh my God.
Em Schulz: Sorry, after one hour, thank God I got...
Christine Schiefer: I was like, every...
Em Schulz: Jesus.
Christine Schiefer: Hour this poor coworker is like, "This is above my pay grade man."
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Uh, "Asked him to check on me after an hour 'cause I had been hit by something thrown at me."
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] Oh, no.
Em Schulz: "But what takes the cake is after my daughter was born in 2021." Okay. Christine, get ready.
Christine Schiefer: Oh, fuck. [laughter] That's when mine was born too.
Em Schulz: "My husband at the time was working the, uh, his third shift, so we were both up incredibly late. We were playing video games in the living room, when I hear a sound from the kitchen, it's my daughter's toy controller singing A-B-C-D, come and play a game with me."
Christine Schiefer: No. [laughter] It's like Chucky or something.
Em Schulz: That's... Yeah. One, two Freddy's coming for you. Like...
Christine Schiefer: That yeah, yeah. One of those like fun nursery rhymes about murder.
Em Schulz: "I immediately freeze and look at him, who is also wide-eyed."
Christine Schiefer: Mmm.
Em Schulz: Uh, "but he plays it off like, Oh, something probably fell over and it bumped, or And bumped it. Ever the skeptic, he encourages me to let it go and go back to my gaming," which is exactly what I would've done. I would've been like, see nothing, hear nothing.
Christine Schiefer: Don't have time for that bullshit. Nope.
Em Schulz: Oh, yep. Eyes wide open, and mouth wide shut. I saw nothing. I'm not talking about it.
Christine Schiefer: That's a great saying, Em.
Em Schulz: I, you know, I might have created it out of thin air.
Christine Schiefer: I'm not really sure, but it sounds great.
Em Schulz: "The following night, my husband is at work and I'm home alone with the baby sleeping upstairs. I do my nightly round of walking the house to check all the doors that they're locked. And as I'm walking out of the kitchen, I see the toy controller sitting on our dining room table. I say to myself in my head, Oh good. Absolutely nothing is near it, so I won't hear it go off again."
Christine Schiefer: Good.
Em Schulz: Uh-huh.
Christine Schiefer: Famous last words.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: I do like that... I do like, I also do that confirmation every now and then where I'm like, "If that were to fly off the counter...
Christine Schiefer: Mm-hmm.
Em Schulz: I know right now it is in the middle of the counter. There is no reason it would slide off. It will be very odd... "
Christine Schiefer: I do like the opposite way when I set something down and I'm like, well, it's perched very precariously on the edge of the table.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: But instead of moving it somewhere safer, I'm just gonna tell myself, "If it falls. It wasn't a ghost. It was my poor planning." Uh...
Em Schulz: So you're like preemptively trying to get yourself outta being scared.
Christine Schiefer: Correct.
Em Schulz: Interesting. 'cause I definitely do, I definitely do what Jill's doing, where like I'll put something down and I'm like, if this were to fall, it will be very fucking weird.
Christine Schiefer: Okay. I just did the opposite of that when I put up one of those shower caddies that like suctions to the wall. And I was, they never fucking stay.
Em Schulz: Never.
Christine Schiefer: At least in my experience. And so I was like, "Okay, that thing is gonna fall and I'm gonna think a ghost did it." But then like, you know, days go by and all of a sudden there's this huge crash and I'm like, "Yep, there it is." Like, "I knew that was coming."
Em Schulz: That's so, um, proactive of you?
Christine Schiefer: Stupid? Oh...
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Oh.
Christine Schiefer: I was like, 'cause I know it's gonna fall. I don't know why I didn't just set it down. I don't know. I try...
Em Schulz: See in my mind if something's gonna fall, I just never interact with it to begin with. I'm like, I'm not even gonna hang you up. Until I can...
Christine Schiefer: Not worth it. I should. Yeah, exactly. That's a smart thing but...
Em Schulz: I used to, I had a shower caddy in my last place and I rubber-glued it to the shower 'cause I knew it would fall and it never...
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: I had to leave it there. It didn't come off.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: It's there to this very day.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Okay, so, so Jill's saying, oh, there's that toy that made a sound. If it's on the table, it's not near anything. If I hear it, it'll, it ought to freak me out. "I don't even make it out of the dining room before I hear the sound of plastic scraping on wood and then bang, the loudest crash of my life. And A-B-C-D."
Christine Schiefer: No!
Em Schulz: "Come and play a game with me." Which now it makes me feel like that creepy thing where like they can read your mind.
Christine Schiefer: Yes, exactly. Which is very unsettling. Ooh. So it felt, did it, it got pushed off the table?
Em Schulz: Like she heard it dragging off her table.
Christine Schiefer: Forget it, forget it.
Em Schulz: "When I tell you I broke the sound barrier with how fast I ran, believe me. My poor dog had no idea what was happening. So she bolts after me." I love that the dog is matching your energy like...
Christine Schiefer: I love it too. The dog's like, "You're out. I'm out."
Em Schulz: The dog... The dog was like, "I'll ask questions later. We're bolting, we're getting outta here." "It's a miracle between her zoomies and my sobbing that we didn't wake the baby. I called my husband begging him to come home. He can't leave work. And I tell him I'm going to pack up the family and drive to him. He tells me I'm overreacting and I eventually bunkered down for the night in our room and barely slept. I did not go back downstairs. When he comes home the next morning, he tells me the toy controller was under the dining room table."
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp]
Em Schulz: So it had moved again. By itself.
Christine Schiefer: Eew, I don't like it.
Em Schulz: "To this day. That story is tied for the first place of scariest things that happened in this house. I've always felt since the very beginning that my kitchen ghost was a previous owner from over a hundred years ago who is keeping a stern eye on the new folks. I named him the most Amish thing I could think of, Jebediah."
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: I was like Abraham?
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: I was gonna start guessing.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: "Things have calmed down recently though, which is good. He had locked us out of the house while my daughter was still inside and once..."
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] Oh shit.
Em Schulz: "And once we broke back into our own home, I sat in my kitchen and gave him a lecture on how this was my house now. And if he was going to continue to test my patience, I was going to get every stick of incense, every crystal, every bottle of holy water, you name it and banish him forever if he didn't knock it off." Which like, that seems like a character development. Like that's an arc because like you went from...
Christine Schiefer: Oh absolutely.
Em Schulz: Hiding out in your room and almost never coming back into the building to like giving him a...
Christine Schiefer: To laying down the law.
Em Schulz: Coming down, coming to Jesus meeting. Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: Uh, so anyway, "thank you for taking the time to read my story and everything you do for us listeners. Uh, Christine, I hope you can find some comfort and commiseration with another Gemini mom. I married a Capricorn rising, not sun, but close enough."
Christine Schiefer: Close enough. Um, good, good for you. It's a good choice in my experience. Um, so good job. Good job. Wowza. I mean, I'm not comforted, but I, I am... I do feel like I'm commiserating. So that part is nice.
Em Schulz: I feel like sometimes I feel seen, but then there are other times where I'm like, "Oh, so that's just on the list of things that haven't happened to me yet and now I have another thing to fear."
Christine Schiefer: Exactly. It's like, "Well, thank you for reintroducing me to this concept and my fear."
Em Schulz: Just as my panic was settling.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah. Just as I kind of wrote it off. But no, I, I am, uh, it is, there is, you're right. There is a comfort in, um, in, in being not alone in these experiences. So thank you Jill. So this is called The Time I Drove Through A Ghost.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Oh my gosh.
Christine Schiefer: This is from Jess. She/her. And it says, "Howdy. Hey all. And That's Why We Drink associated people, places, and things. My name is Jess and I use she/her pronouns. I'm here tonight to tell you of the time I drove through a ghost in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. Every summer my family and I would go to my aunt's lake house on Table Rock Lake for a week." Sorry, that was a lot of nouns.
Em Schulz: Yeah.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Uh, "lake house on Table Rock Lake for a week." It sounds like table... It sounds like lake...
Em Schulz: House.
Christine Schiefer: It sounds like we're learning our vocabulary for the first time.
Em Schulz: I was gonna say it sounds like like Hooked on Phonics.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Yes, exactly. Exactly. "This story takes place right before my sophomore year of college, my best friend, cousin, her two dogs and I had to leave early because our schools were starting back up. It's about a four and a half hour drive home. So we decided to leave Sunday night around sunset while the rest of my family stayed another few days. We got about an hour into the trip to stop for gas and realized one of my headlights was out. Later, we were driving through a town called Blairstown (hello, Blair Witch???) when all of a sudden we drive through a low dense, extremely bright cloud."
Em Schulz: Oi.
Christine Schiefer: "Mind you, it was a very clear night. All of us in the car audibly gasped and it felt like the temperature in the car dropped cold."
Em Schulz: Eugh.
Christine Schiefer: Ooh, "the dogs also started to let out that eerie low growl sound."
Em Schulz: Eughh.
Christine Schiefer: That's scary. 'cause you know they're just chilling in the backseat. Like there's no reason that they should be freaked out by something.
Em Schulz: I feel like, I feel like when it comes to, uh... Like dogs or animals in general acting out...
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: It is very freaky, but especially like you just said, when you know they're just like lax...
Christine Schiefer: Just loungin'.
Em Schulz: Easy breezy.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: And then like all of a sudden, like even if there's isn't a reason they're aware of something hit them in their soul of like, "Time to react."
Christine Schiefer: Exactly. Something upsetting happened to them. It wasn't just you that noticed it. Blech.
Em Schulz: Like they felt some, like something hit 'em. Yeah. Oi. Oi.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah. "The dogs started to let out that eerie low growl sound. Almost immediately after I see police lights in the rear view mirror." What the fuck?
Em Schulz: Hmm.
Christine Schiefer: "I pull over and a state trooper comes up to the car. My first thought is that he saw my headlight was out. I rolled down the window and he tells me that the reason he pulled me over was because my brake lights were flashing. He let us get out and see, and they were both flashing rapidly. Like someone was pressing on and off of the brakes as fast as they could."
Em Schulz: Ew.
Christine Schiefer: What?
Em Schulz: Wait, I don't even know what to make of that.
Christine Schiefer: I'm so confused by the co-concept. I don't even know what to think. And then, let's see. She says "it was truly unlike anything I'd ever seen. In classic cop fashion, he didn't do anything to help us. Just told us about it and said maybe I should get it checked out soon. We continued home, dropped off my cousin, and literally as my best friend and I were turning into our apartment complex, I got pulled over again."
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Oh my God.
Christine Schiefer: This is the worst luck ever.
Em Schulz: Yeah. What do you even tell the cop? You're just like, it's, I know it's already happened.
Christine Schiefer: "I drove through a ghost. Okay." That's what you tell them. [chuckles]
Em Schulz: Yeah. "I drove through a ghost and now my brake light that's broken is glitching." So.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah what do you want from me? "This time though, it actually was just because my headlight was out. The flashing had completely stopped. Definitely one of the strangest 20 minutes of my life, and all of us are convinced we drove through a harmless but prankster of a ghost. Anyway, that's my story. I'll leave you with my favorite combination Dad/Gemini joke."
Em Schulz: Mmm.
Christine Schiefer: "My dad is named Jim and is in fact a Gemini."
Em Schulz: Oh God.
Christine Schiefer: One of... One of his favorite... This is cracking me up already. "One of his favorite things to say to people is, 'Hi, I'm Jim and I'm a Gemini.' It's totally..." [cackles] Okay, I gotta demonstrate. Ready Em?
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: It goes like this. "It goes a little something like this. 'Hi, I'm Jim and I'm a Gemini. It's Jim and I!'"
Em Schulz: Oh God.
Christine Schiefer: He points, for those on audio, "he uses one thumb to point at himself and say, it's Jim. And then use the other thumb to point at himself and say and I."
Em Schulz: I thought he, and I'm shocked that he doesn't call himself Jimini.
Christine Schiefer: That's what I was thinking too. Yeah. Jimini.
Em Schulz: That's just like written right there for ya.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: "That's all I got for ya. I unfortunately don't have a, that's for another time story. Jess."
[laughter]
Em Schulz: I love that.
Christine Schiefer: People owning that now too. That's funny.
Em Schulz: I feel like I, the, the cries have been heard. People know whether or not we're expecting at the end for another time.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: But thank you for...
Christine Schiefer: We do appreciate the heads up.
Em Schulz: Calling yourself out. But thank you so much. I don't know, I guess my first thought is if something that creepy happens to you, it's like the one time you want two cops to pull you over 'cause you're like, you want the eyes on you just in case something like creepy happens to you again. Like it's nice to have witnesses.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah.
Em Schulz: So it'd be, it would at least feel a little comforting. Oh yeah. A little comforting of like, "Oh, at least people see me right now. Like at least I'm not alone in this and like, I can run to somebody if it, if I'm too freaked out."
Christine Schiefer: Yeah, that's true. I think I would've not dropped your friends off and gone home. I would've been like, "I'm coming inside with you."
Em Schulz: Oh yeah.
Christine Schiefer: I'm sleeping here.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: I would've been like, "Oh homie, we're having a sleepover now."
Christine Schiefer: Remember?
Em Schulz: "I don't know if you remember."
[laughter]
Em Schulz: All right so this is from Amber who uses, uh, she/her and thank you for normalizing pronouns, and Amber's subject line is the oh my god. Wow.
Christine Schiefer: What?
Em Schulz: I don't know how this is gonna go.
Christine Schiefer: Okay.
Em Schulz: "The Time I Watched my Son Die Twice then Took him out for a Porterhouse Steak." Okay. It sounds like there's a happy ending.
Christine Schiefer: Okay.
Em Schulz: I hope.
Christine Schiefer: I'll listen. Um, okay.
Em Schulz: Okay. I'm seeing, okay, let's, we'll, let's go. "Hey, yo." Okay. Good way to start. Feeling, feeling better. "The title of my story might be a bit dramatic, but I'm a Gemini." Okay Amber. Okay.
Christine Schiefer: Oh, for God's sake. Amber!
Em Schulz: You threw me for a loop there. "But I'm a Gemini, so it's to be expected. I'm also a mom of four teenagers and your podcast helped me realize that one of them was having a legitimate health concern." Oh gosh.
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] Oh no.
Em Schulz: "Last, last spring. My son, who is not a Gemini, but is still prone to the dramatics."
Christine Schiefer: Scorpio.
Em Schulz: I feel like that happens when you're well...
Christine Schiefer: Or raised by Geminis.
Em Schulz: I was gonna say, if one of your parents, or both your parents are a Gemini, you're gonna kind of revel in chaos for the rest of the time.
Christine Schiefer: It's too bad. I'm sorry for you.
Em Schulz: Like Gemini by association you know.
Christine Schiefer: Mm-hmm. It's secondhand Gemini.
Em Schulz: It's like, oh I did the ancestry results. I'm actually 50% Gemini. Um.
Christine Schiefer: Oh that's too bad.
Em Schulz: Uh, "I'm a mom to four teenagers and one of them was hav... You helped me realize one of them was having a legitimate health concern. Last spring, my son came home from school telling me about an episode he had during his weightlifting class. He was doing bench press when the bar came down and smacked his chest, causing his heart to start racing."
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp]
Em Schulz: Oh God. That's like a nightmare. Oh my God. "After laying down, walking around and trying anything he could think of to get it to slow down back to normal, he eventually went to the school nurse. She gave him a cold cloth and he laid down and it did end up going back down to normal. We chalked it up to him having too much caffeine that day and went on about life. Weeks later, another episode hit. This one was much shorter and I again found something small to attribute it to."
Em Schulz: "Then Em started sharing their problems with SVT,"...
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp]
Em Schulz: "which is something I'd never heard of, and I had an aha moment in the middle of the sidewalk while delivering mail on my mail route. My son's symptoms were very similar to what Em was describing. So fast forward through about 10 months of medical bullshit that I do not have time to explain. I'm sure Em understands all too well.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Yep.
Em Schulz: I do. "When Jackson, my son, is at University of Iowa Children's Hospital for testing to see if he has Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, a condition very similar to SVT."
Christine Schiefer: Mmm.
Em Schulz: "We are in a room with seven medical staff who are about to administer medicine to Jackson through an IV while they watch his EKG. The cardiologist tells us they will give him six." Oh God, "six milligrams of adenosine."
Christine Schiefer: Oh!
Em Schulz: Which is what knocked my ass out.
Christine Schiefer: That's what kicked your ass.
Em Schulz: Kicked my ass to heaven. Then back to hell. Then back to here.
Christine Schiefer: I was gonna say, I don't think heaven let you in. Maybe you bounced off the gates.
Em Schulz: That's why I ended up in hell. Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: Gotcha.
Em Schulz: The reverb was kinda of crazy.
Christine Schiefer: Gotcha. Yeah.
Em Schulz: "We are in a hotel," or not a hotel room. Oh my God. "A hospital room with..."
Christine Schiefer: I was like, "Abort mission. Something's very wrong here."
[laughter]
Em Schulz: We've jumped time. We've, we've jumped into a different world. "We're in a room with seven medical staff who are about to administer medicine to Jackson through an IV. Um, giving him six milligrams of adenosine, which will have a 15 to 30-second effect on his heart. As soon as she says the name of the drug, I recognize it, but assume I've just heard it in one of many other appointments we've had related to my son's illness."
Christine Schiefer: Oh no. It was from Em! [chuckles] Oh no.
Em Schulz: I already know what's coming and now I know why you saw your son die twice. And I...
Christine Schiefer: Oh.
Em Schulz: I just, I've always thought too, I've thought while I was in the ambulance for myself, I was like, "I'm so glad nobody I knew saw that happen because it would be very traumatic." So.
Christine Schiefer: Oh, traumatic.
Em Schulz: I already feel bad for what you had to witness. "I'm seated at the end of the bed, a nurse holds Jackson's hand and tells him to look into her eyes while they... "
Christine Schiefer: Ooh!
Em Schulz: That's odd. EMT Brad did not do that to me. Um, "while they administer the drug, let me tell you, I'm glad she looked into his eyes because just seeing them from the end of his bed will haunt me for the rest of my life."
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] Oh babe, I'm sorry.
Em Schulz: I'm so sorry.
Christine Schiefer: That's horrible.
Em Schulz: I'm so sorry. "For those 15 to 30 seconds, which felt so much longer, he looked like he was dying."
Christine Schiefer: Oh my God.
Em Schulz: "Like something was just draining the life from him and it hit me. This was the drug Em had to be given by EMTs and I remembered how terrible they said it made them feel. Afterwards, Jackson would describe it as someone sitting on his chest or being stabbed in the chest."
Christine Schiefer: Oh, buddy.
Em Schulz: "But the mental aspect might be worse. The doctor said it gives you a sense of impending doom." Uh. Yes. I thought for sure I was in hell and then dying. "Your brain thinks your heart has stopped/you're dying. And I could see that in his eyes."
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp]
Em Schulz: "I don't think I took a breath for the entirety of that test. And when it was over, they told us they would need to do it again with double the dose."
Christine Schiefer: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Imagine Em if they imagined did that to you and then they were like, "Now let's do it again." But worse.
Em Schulz: I honestly, I do wonder how many milligrams they gave me. I don't know. But, um, I actually, what's so funny, I was...
Christine Schiefer: It's probably in your paperwork.
Em Schulz: I mean, I literally, my heart thing is right here.
Christine Schiefer: Oh. There it is. I like that you keep it handy.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Well, I have a stack of papers here I haven't done anything with and it's just like in there. Um, but I, yeah, I wonder if it's on here. I'll have to look at it later. Um, okay. So they just did that, the, the six milligrams they thought... He thought he was dying and now they're gonna double it.
Christine Schiefer: Cool.
Em Schulz: "My 17-year-old son handled that news better than me," which honestly, you're so fucking like in a, in a daze like EMT Brad could have told me we're doubling it and doing it again. I probably wouldn't have totally been aware.
Christine Schiefer: Right. Just go with it. Yeah. What are you gonna do? You know?
Em Schulz: "So again, they gave him the drug and again, I had to see that life drain from his eyes and I was in no way any more prepared for it. He handled it like a champ, but later admitted he never wants to have to do that again."
Christine Schiefer: Aw buddy.
Em Schulz: "We immediately went to a steakhouse afterwards where I insisted he order the biggest steak on the menu."
Christine Schiefer: Mmm.
Em Schulz: And... Wow. I fucking remember when EMT Brad wouldn't even give me my sandwich.
Christine Schiefer: So I was like, "Wow, Em is getting real bitter over here."
Em Schulz: I know. "He deserved whatever he wanted after that, after what I had just witnessed. The test confirmed he had Wolff Parkinson White and he will have surgery to repair it in May. I'm not sure when I would have realized how serious his symptoms were if it weren't for Em talking about their medical journey."
Christine Schiefer: Aww.
Em Schulz: "So your banter saves lives."
Christine Schiefer: Okay, that's a little extreme, but it is...
Em Schulz: And happy birthday to two Geminis. Yeah. We are gonna ride that high until we are not here.
Christine Schiefer: Your banter saves lives. If anybody ever complains again, I'm gonna be like, "Do you know what I've done?"
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Ask Jackson at the University...
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: But also, but also he died twice basically. So like, I don't know if we're saving lives as much as just causing like, wreaking havoc on people's hearts.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: We almost, it's, it really is like, uh, insanity. We bring you to the brink of death, but we we save you at the end. So.
Christine Schiefer: But weee.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: And it's... It's a fun story later. So at least for the, for the plot, our banter is important.
Christine Schiefer: Poor buddy.
Em Schulz: "I'm seriously grateful that I decided to start listening to 'And That's Why We Drink' in 2020 that I never miss an episode, and that's something I learned from this podcast, had a very meaningful effect on my life and my son's life. Thank you for, to everyone who has a hand in bringing the show to all of us." Aw. "Never under..."
Christine Schiefer: That's very nice.
Em Schulz: "Never underestimate the impact you have on your listeners."
Christine Schiefer: Mmm.
Em Schulz: U"h, you make this mail carrier look forward to Mondays." [laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Oh, that's so nice.
Em Schulz: "PS, although I'm quite worried about his upcoming surgery, I know he will be in capable hands at University of Iowa Children's Hospital. It truly is a special place with special people. The Iowa football stadium sits right across the street from the hospital and at some point in every game, everyone in the stadium turns to wave to the kids in the hospital." Aww
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] Oh, okay. I just, I want...
Em Schulz: And...
Christine Schiefer: Oh, sorry, go ahead.
Em Schulz: I was gonna say the last thing is that apparently Jackson's surgery was yesterday.
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp]
Em Schulz: So, someone's maybe having another steak tonight.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: Hell yeah, Jackson. Oh my gosh. Wow. Wow. Well, I just went to the email to look at the, and it's called the... It says Google, the Iowa Wave.
Em Schulz: The Iowa wave.
Christine Schiefer: If you wanna look at it.
Em Schulz: Well, when they wave to the hospital? That's pretty sweet.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah. Wow.
Em Schulz: Um, so I hope the surgery went well. I'm glad. It is very validating 'cause a lot of times I'm very aware that the last year of episodes, I somehow always find a way to like insert a health comment. [chuckle] So, uh...
Christine Schiefer: You're saving lives.
Em Schulz: I feel bad about... I feel bad about that sometimes, but for Jackson, I'm glad that I didn't shut the fuck up. So...
Christine Schiefer: I am too. You know what? And what a kick-ass kid to be like, "Okay, let's do it."
Em Schulz: Oi. I can't complain anymore. He did that twice. Like, forget that.
Christine Schiefer: Oh, in front of his mother. Oh, at 17 too. So little.
Em Schulz: I can't imagine. I really have thought what it would be like to have to witness someone seeing what that looks like, and to know that someone has is...
Christine Schiefer: Mm-mm.
Em Schulz: You also deserve a steak, by the way, Amber.
Christine Schiefer: I agree. Yeah. Amber what the hell?
Em Schulz: That's tough. That's tough.
Christine Schiefer: You went through a lot too.
Em Schulz: Oi. All right, well thank you for, for, uh, your story. And if Jackson hears us, I hope your heart's thumping right.
Christine Schiefer: Okay. So this is called "A bunk bed, a rosary, and Bob's Burgers with an eerie twist!!!" [laughter]
Em Schulz: That's where like Jimothy or whatever his name is, needs to come in with the dad jokes. That's... Feels like a setup.
Christine Schiefer: Oh, Jimini [laughter]
Em Schulz: Jimini. It sounds like a setup for a Jimini kind of joke.
Christine Schiefer: It does. We all walk into a bar. Uh, "Hello ghoul friends and spooksters. Love you all, the podcast and everything you do, thanks for keeping my ears a tingling at work. I've got a wild story for you, so let's crack into it. I went to St. Mary's College in South Bend Indiana, and yes, it's different from St. Mary's of the Woods. I don't really know either of these things, so thank you for clarifying [laughter] for the people who probably do."
Em Schulz: But if it's a question on trivia now I know.
Christine Schiefer: That's Right. "For the first three years of my undergrad, it's an all girls Catholic college and very, very haunted. From Poltergeist activity to full body intelligent apparitions, to blood stains that reappear after they've been cleaned. This place has it all." [laughter]
Em Schulz: Great.
Christine Schiefer: Sounds like the, sounds like the, um, oh my god, what's his name? I always forget his name on, uh, Stefan, where he's like, this place has everything.
[laughter]
Christine Schiefer: You do know what I mean?
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: That sketch. Okay. Uh, "this place has it all. My dorm sophomore year and junior year was the oldest building on campus and was located right in front of the convent where the local nuns lived. During my sophomore year, we took a class visit to the convent to learn about the history of the campus. The final stop on the tour was a room with all of the old artifacts in it. The overall vibe of the room was heavy and I wanted to yeet the fuck out of there once we got in the room, but alas, I had to stay. Once the tour finished, the nun tour guide gave us all rosaries that contained an original bead from a rosary owned by the original nuns that founded the school."
Em Schulz: Whoa!
Christine Schiefer: Jesus. I wasn't [laughter] I like how most places give you like a, a water bottle, like a reusable water bottle when you start college [chuckle] and this place is like, "Here's your rosary."
Em Schulz: Yeah. Right. And it's like with like significant history to the building,...
Christine Schiefer: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Em Schulz: By the way, like that shouldn't just be like given to strangers.
Christine Schiefer: It's not the plastic ones that I have from like throughout my childhood.
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: It's like a legit one. "I wasn't the biggest fan of accepting it because this gal does not like historic artifacts that have a weird vibe." Okay. Speak for yourself [chuckle] "But, you know, I wanted to be nice. I brought it back to my room and continued my activities for the rest of the day. When I came back that night, I knew there was something off about the feel of my room. The air was heavy and suffocating almost. I ignored it or tried to at least and went to bed."
Em Schulz: Mmm.
Christine Schiefer: "That night I had one of the strangest dreams I think I've ever had. It was specifically 1918, and everything around me was in black and white." Oh my God. "I was on the quad with a girl named Annie, and we were just hanging out and chilling until I walked away for a second and came back to find her dead."
Em Schulz: [Gasp] Oh my God. Oh my God.
Christine Schiefer: "Immediately after that, I woke up around 3:00 AM and could see the lights in the hallway flickering. I had the top bunk, parenthesis, (let it be known I'm truly a bottom bunker, but sacrificed it for my roommate at the time)." Thank you for clarifying.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: "And when I looked across the room, there was a dark mist in the doorframe of our closet. In a panic, I quickly shut my eyes and pulled the blanket over my head hoping that whatever the hell was in the room would leave. That was short-lived until I felt the frame of the bunk bed shaking. I grabbed the bed frame and the shaking immediately stopped. To calm my anxiety and help me fall asleep, I opened Hulu on my phone and put Bob's Burgers on because there's nothing more soothing than Linda Belcher singing about mashed potatoes." [laughter]
Christine Schiefer: "I woke up the next morning and things felt weirdly fine. Let's skip ahead to that night. The same thing happened, a weird dream in black and white, Annie, flickering lights, a dark mist and Bob's Burgers. The next morning I woke up wanting to figure out what the fuck was going on in my room since I had never experienced anything like that before. My only thought was that it could be the rosary given to me by the nun. So I did what I had to do, go back to the convent and somehow return the rosary without looking like a total ass." [laughter]
Em Schulz: Oh, my gosh.
Christine Schiefer: "I brought the rosary to class with me and almost had a panic attack in there because I was so on edge. Afterwards, I ran to the convent and saw a nun at the front desk, while I'm talking to her about a pen pal program with the nuns. No, it was not an actual thing. I took the rosary out of my bag and casually slipped it into the pot of a large plant next to me." [laughter]
Em Schulz: Oh my god. Oh my God.
Christine Schiefer: That's, that's how I handle a situation as well.
Em Schulz: I know. I thought she was gonna like throw it at the nun and be like, "Take it away."
Christine Schiefer: I know.
Em Schulz: I mean, I would...
[overlapping conversation]
Em Schulz: I also, like, I would not be afraid to go up to a nun and be like, "Something you gave me is very connected to the house. Like something spiritual is happening as something you can understand."
Christine Schiefer: I don't know. Em, nuns are very scary [laughter] I think.
Em Schulz: Maybe, but I'd feel... If they're scary then they can handle Annie, I can't. So...
Christine Schiefer: I guess so. Yeah, that's a fair point. "I took the rosary and casually slipped it into the pot of a large plant next to me. Once the conversation was over, I went back to my dorm and bingo bango the room felt like a breath of fresh air. That night I slept like a fucking baby and everything returned to normal. I told my... I told my roommate about the whole incident and she didn't believe me. Well, a few months later my roommate was walking in the cemetery with some friends, while looking at the gravestones they came across an Annie that had died in 1918!"
Em Schulz: Ugh.
Christine Schiefer: Are you kidding?
Em Schulz: That's a... I mean, that's a no from me. [laughter]
Christine Schiefer: What happened to her? Oh my God, "What the actual fuck. It turned her skeptical ass into a full-ass believer. I have some more spooky stories from my time at St. Mary's and Indiana University where I transferred to, but I'll save those for another time. Thanks again for the amazing podcast. XO, XO, gossip Goblin Chiara. She/her Gemini Supreme."
Em Schulz: Oh my gosh! Gossip Goblin?
Christine Schiefer: And don't forget it. [laughter] Um, "PS Please come back to DC." Okay. So, wow, Chiara, and we didn't even say your name up front because it, uh, I didn't see it in the beginning. So Chiara, wow, a Gemini Supreme indeed.
Em Schulz: I feel like, I wonder if that means like Annie wanted to be back at the convent?
Christine Schiefer: I wonder if that was her rosary?
Em Schulz: [Gasp] Ooh. Yeah. I don't know how I feel about that. And also, but then like also to get a vision of her dying or something. Oh my God.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah. Well, it was weird. It, it could almost be symbolic. Like she turned away and then when she turned back she was dead. Like, maybe it's like symbolic, like, I don't know.
Em Schulz: Mmm. Weird. You would think you would have an inviting presence if you wanted the person now in, now owning your, your rosary. Like, I'd like to think you would like have like a nice connection with them if they're not gonna be taking care of what you had.
Christine Schiefer: Well, maybe it was the friend who like from the perspective of finding her dead or whatever, like maybe that was like a trauma. Maybe it was her rosary.
Em Schulz: Oh yeah.
Christine Schiefer: And she was like traumatized, and so after death, it like imprinted, I don't know.
Em Schulz: Wow. What a story. But like maybe [chuckles] That's a, that's a good guess. I don't know. Either way I'm, I think if a nun ever tried to give me a rosary, I would just be like, "Mmm, no, thank you." Respectfully.
Christine Schiefer: You can't do that if you're at a Catholic school. You have to take it.
Em Schulz: Oh really?
Christine Schiefer: I mean, I don't think I could ever tell a nun in her face, "No, I don't want this." I think that I'd probably get smacked.
Em Schulz: Okay, fair enough. [laughter]
Christine Schiefer: They're scary. I'm telling you.
Em Schulz: Our final story of this month, uh, of our birthday month is from Tara who uses she/her pronouns. Thank you for normalizing pronouns. And the subject line is "Bagel Bites blip for listener stories."
Christine Schiefer: Oh, blip?
Em Schulz: I don't know. We'll have to see. So Tara says, "Hey, love you all." Sweet and short. "Been listening since the early episodes and I won't waste time with introductions." Wow. Tara said, I'm coming in hot and you can't stop me.
Christine Schiefer: Also, I love that every time there's a short intro, Em goes, "Wow, what a short intro," [laughter] and makes it really long. [laughter]
Em Schulz: I'm gonna keep it long no matter what you do. Uh...
Christine Schiefer: Nice try, Tara. [laughter]
Em Schulz: "I'm from, I'm from Vegas where the infamous Bagel Bites lives. My mom worked at a very popular local casino where Mr. Bites would frequent and gamble at."
Christine Schiefer: [Gasp] Oooh!
Em Schulz: "My mother found out at the time, which was around 2015 when Ghost Adventures was more relevant." Oh, okay. Tara. Um, "that I was swooning over the super bro host of the show. So the next time she spotted him at work, she decided to shout repeatedly, 'ZAK BAG-GINS! MY DAUGHTER LOVES YOU!'"
[laughter]
Em Schulz: "And when he turned around, his response was, 'it’s BAY-GANS'."
Christine Schiefer: No! [laughter]
Em Schulz: What an asshole.
Christine Schiefer: What a dick [laughter]
Em Schulz: Can you imagine if someone went, "Christine Shi-fer, my daughter loves you." And you go... "Its She-fer".
Christine Schiefer: Oh my God!
Em Schulz: I'd be like, for the day you're Christine Schiffer...
Christine Schiefer: Like literally not in a million fucking years. I will literally change my name bef... To Schiffer before I say something like that.
Em Schulz: Oh my gosh!
Christine Schiefer: That's horrible!
Em Schulz: Uh, "but she had no shame and was gonna let him know the T whether he wanted it or not." [laughter] Which is very nice, like despite mispronouncing his name.
Christine Schiefer: Mm-hmm.
Em Schulz: "My mother passed away unexpectedly and too early in last September..."
Christine Schiefer: Oh no!
Em Schulz: "And, I almost canceled my trip to your New Orleans show in October because of it, but my sisters convinced me to go. I cried at the Pony intro when you guys came on stage because it was the first happiness I felt in that time." Oh my God.
Christine Schiefer: Come on Tara.
Em Schulz: "Anyway, I've been putting off writing this for her. Uh, but I have tickets for the show in Vegas in May." Oh, well.
Christine Schiefer: Yes!
Em Schulz: "And I thought it was a time that I write in to you guys. Hope you can read this for your listener's story, uh, and May is my birthday month, so love your fellow millennial Gemini."
Christine Schiefer: Oh, happy birthday!
Em Schulz: Oh, Tara. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm so glad you avoided a situation with Mr. Bagans.
Christine Schiefer: I mean. Seriously, and I still call him Zak "Bag-gins" 'cause in my head he's always been called that. But now I'm more committed to it than ever, you know?
Em Schulz: It's like if you're gonna, if you're gonna be an asshole trying to correctly pronounce your name, then people are probably gonna stick with the bad one because you have a bad attitude.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah, 'cause exactly, Like you're not making me want to say it right.
Em Schulz: I mean, I understand like he just wants his fucking last name properly said, but you could have said it any other way to a fan of all people like.
Christine Schiefer: Yeah. To someone working there too. Like don't talk to staff, like, don't be an asshole.
Em Schulz: Like, don't ever be mean to people who are in charge of your food and your drinks and...
Christine Schiefer: And your money.
Em Schulz: And your money. Forget it.
Christine Schiefer: Just saying.
Em Schulz: Oh my God! Wow! Well, what a good one to end on. Zak Bagans, of course, found his way into our birthday listener's episode...
Christine Schiefer: I Know. Eva's so good. Eva's so good. She knows what she's doing.
Em Schulz: Sneaky Snake. Um, but that's it. Next time, uh, you and I do a listener's episode together, we'll be...
Christine Schiefer: Boo.
Em Schulz: A year older and...
Christine Schiefer: It'll be July. Boo July.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: And, uh, we'll know what flavor cakes we got for our birthdays.
Christine Schiefer: That's true. We can confirm or deny, uh...
Em Schulz: Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: What has happened.
Em Schulz: It's a good time. Yeah.
Christine Schiefer: Great point.
Em Schulz: Yeah. Well, uh, I guess until then, Christine, I hope you have a great birthday I,ll next time I, you see you, we'll be, you know, we'll have to celebrate together.
Christine Schiefer: We'll be in Vegas pretty soon.
Em Schulz: Oh yeah.
Christine Schiefer: To celebrate with Tara or "Tar-ah" or however it's pronounced.
Em Schulz: Yeah. Can you imagine? Of course, your name is one that I could have mispronounced and you told the story of mispronouncing.
Christine Schiefer: Oh my god, wait, I didn't even think of that.
Em Schulz: Imagine if the whole time...
Christine Schiefer: Like the whole time she's going, "It's Tar-ah!"
[laughter]
Em Schulz: Yeah. Aw. Uh, but yeah, thank you everyone who wrote in. Um, if for some reason this was your first listener's episode, you can share your own true crime and per... Uh, true crime and paranormal stories with us. You can go to our website andthatswhywedrink.com and uh, yeah, thank you for checking in. We'll see you all in July for more spooky tales. Uh, conjured up by Eva.
Christine Schiefer: That's right. It'll be the birthday hangover month. Can't wait.
[laughter]
Em Schulz: And.
Christine Schiefer: That's.
Em Schulz: Why.
Christine Schiefer: We.
Em Schulz: Drink.