Episode 48
Dumb Gringo
An earthquake alarm went off, Mexico City is slowly disappearing into the earth, and I'm still impressed I haven't fallen on the sidewalk yet. Episode 48 — the penultimate episode of onefjef season one — short, a little chaotic, what you'd expect, hopefully what you'll like.
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Thank you for listening, please do it again, but not during an earthquake.
Onefjef is produced, edited & hosted by Jef Taylor.
Transcript
Oh, there it is.
Speaker:Hello.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:That was exciting, huh?
Speaker:This is episode 48 of onefjef.
Speaker:48 is best known as the number of the lower 48 US states, but it also
Speaker:quietly dominates everyday life because it divides so cleanly, which
Speaker:is why manufacturers love using it in packaging, shipping, and bulk quantities.
Speaker:In numerology, 48 is often associated with discipline, material success, and
Speaker:building stability through persistence, though, depending on who you ask,
Speaker:it That either sounds profound or exactly like something printed on the
Speaker:wall of a mid level corporate office.
Speaker:I was planning to start season two with this episode but I'm two
Speaker:episodes away from episode 50.
Speaker:50 feels like a better delineator than 48 or 49.
Speaker:So season two of one F Jeff will officially begin with the 50th episode
Speaker:in two weeks, and my guest for that 50th episode will be my dear friend Chris
Speaker:Casey, who you might remember from episode two or episode 25, or other episodes.
Speaker:Which will go unmentioned at this point.
Speaker:He was also the winner of the email, the podcast contest last
Speaker:year, which was an exciting moment for this podcast and for him.
Speaker:And he's still reveling in that joy and the glory from that victory.
Speaker:I think it's safe to say that his life.
Speaker:Has been forever changed by this podcast and he's coming on the podcast
Speaker:for the 50th episode to talk about the ways in which it's changed his
Speaker:life and about the new season and so forth, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker:If you were expecting an interview this week, I apologize.
Speaker:I apologize if you were expecting this episode to come out on Wednesday.
Speaker:You know, the thing about starting a new life in a different
Speaker:country is that it's hard.
Speaker:Starting a new life anywhere is hard.
Speaker:Starting a new life in a different country where you don't really
Speaker:speak the language is hard.
Speaker:It's still hard to eat, you know, and it's frustrating because like I
Speaker:can play the dumb gringo in a lot of situations But going into like a market
Speaker:and like haggling about food prices and stuff that to me feels like that's
Speaker:out of my comfort zone way out and which again I should do it, but It's
Speaker:been difficult and like even figuring out What I can really cook in the tiny
Speaker:kitchen or what kind of foods I can eat.
Speaker:It's just been hard.
Speaker:And I've been spending a lot of money on food because I haven't
Speaker:made food in the apartment.
Speaker:I've made some, I make breakfast and lunch, but dinners are hard
Speaker:and it's just the awkward feeling.
Speaker:You know, I don't like it.
Speaker:If I had somebody here with me, I often think like if I came, I moved here with
Speaker:a partner or something or with a friend, I think it'd be a totally different
Speaker:experience because having somebody like a partner in crime makes it a lot easier.
Speaker:They deflect, right?
Speaker:A little bit.
Speaker:But doing it on your own, you know, it's a whole different level of, uh, of couraging
Speaker:and getting out of your comfort zone.
Speaker:And, uh, I mean, I'm doing it, but I'm just saying, fucking hard.
Speaker:Speaking of hard, I guess, um, there was an earthquake this
Speaker:week, and that was exciting.
Speaker:A lot of earthquakes come in here through the Mexico City area, Mexico area, so
Speaker:much so that they have an alert system that's pretty advanced, it seems like.
Speaker:Because they usually come in from the west coast near, like, Oaxaca
Speaker:is where a lot of the earthquakes.
Speaker:And it takes like, 30 or 45 seconds for the earthquake to get from Oaxaca to here.
Speaker:So they have a leeway, there's a lead time.
Speaker:So these alarms will go off whenever there's an earthquake on the west
Speaker:coast, just in case it comes here.
Speaker:But, it didn't.
Speaker:There was no earthquake.
Speaker:I didn't feel anything anyway, but the alarms were terrifying.
Speaker:My phone alarms started going crazy, and then outside the alarms went crazy,
Speaker:and I was like, should I go outside now?
Speaker:I didn't, I didn't say this.
Speaker:I kind of said it in my head to myself, and then I saw everybody out
Speaker:there, so I was like, oh, I should probably go out there just in case.
Speaker:But in this neighborhood, there's no dots with arrows pointed at them, which
Speaker:is a very uniquely Mexico City thing.
Speaker:I've never seen this anywhere else.
Speaker:You know, they've had their share of earthquakes here, of course, and it's
Speaker:no joke, but you're walking around a lot of the neighborhoods and you'll see
Speaker:this, like, a big dot with four arrows pointed at it, and that's where you're
Speaker:supposed to go if there's an earthquake.
Speaker:But, I mean, the dot's only big enough for a handful of people, so
Speaker:you're gonna need overflow dots.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:Do people think that the dot is really the safe place to be?
Speaker:Because I've seen some of these dots with four arrows around them in places
Speaker:that I would think wouldn't possibly be safe in an earthquake, like practically
Speaker:underneath overhangs and so forth.
Speaker:Like, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker:Uh, but we have none in this neighborhood, so nobody knew where
Speaker:to go, so I walked out there.
Speaker:People were looking at the sky for some reason, and I thought,
Speaker:is this a different alarm?
Speaker:Is there an alien coming?
Speaker:Because why is everybody looking?
Speaker:I looked at the sky at a certain point.
Speaker:You know, you hate when they do that.
Speaker:You stare at something and then you look, too.
Speaker:There was nothing to see.
Speaker:It was just the sky.
Speaker:Perhaps a cloud or two.
Speaker:Anyway, I'm alive.
Speaker:The earthquake didn't come.
Speaker:At least, I didn't feel it.
Speaker:And, uh, all is well.
Speaker:Now I know what the phone sounds when there's an earthquake.
Speaker:And I heard it twice this week, because two days after the earthquake actual,
Speaker:they'd had an earthquake test at 11 a. m., which sounds I don't know.
Speaker:Seems like overkill.
Speaker:Nobody went outside.
Speaker:It wasn't I didn't know if I was supposed to, but I'm not saying
Speaker:I want there to be an earthquake.
Speaker:I really am not, for the record.
Speaker:I am saying, though, that a small earthquake, with no loss
Speaker:of life, would be exciting.
Speaker:That's all.
Speaker:Maybe I'll play the sound of the siren.
Speaker:I've got it recorded.
Speaker:I'll play that for you.
Speaker:Right here.
Speaker:So there's supposed to be a fire alarm test in a few minutes here.
Speaker:It's now 1059?
Speaker:1058? And I'm just recording to see if I can capture the magical moment on audio.
Speaker:1059. All right, very exciting.
Speaker:Edge of my seat.
Speaker:Edge of your seat?
Speaker:Edge of my seat for sure.
Speaker:Actually, I'm kind of slouched in my couch right now, so I'm
Speaker:not really at the edge of it.
Speaker:Oh, there it is.
Speaker:Hello.
Speaker:Alerta sismica.
Speaker:Alerta sismica.
Speaker:Alerta sismica.
Speaker:Alright, alright, shut up.
Speaker:That was exciting, huh?
Speaker:The big article for this week for the mainstream media, mostly in the
Speaker:United States, but all over the world, really, about Mexico is that Mexico
Speaker:City is sinking into the ground so quickly it can be seen from space.
Speaker:I saw this article so many places.
Speaker:My mother sent me this article.
Speaker:And again, it's truly surprising because honestly the only news and
Speaker:believe me I've tried to find news about Mexico City in the Western media,
Speaker:but the only stories they seem to really like to report on are I mean
Speaker:cartels, of course Any kind of violence in general like the shooting at the
Speaker:pyramids recently immigrants, of course immigrants immigrants immigrants and then
Speaker:Sinking into the ground, Mexico City.
Speaker:Or water shortages, Mexico City.
Speaker:It's always negative, which good, because it's true.
Speaker:It's not good here.
Speaker:Nobody likes it.
Speaker:Everybody's here against their will.
Speaker:So, do not come.
Speaker:Haha, it's a joke everybody makes here.
Speaker:Says, tells people, don't say it's good.
Speaker:Anyway, what else?
Speaker:As this is the wrapping up of season one, this episode, and the next,
Speaker:the next episode, and I'm saying it here so that I will do it, right?
Speaker:I am going to, uh, have like a season one A look back, you know, like I will
Speaker:remember you, you know, I mean that kind of thing I won't be able to use
Speaker:that song because I will get taken down from Spotify or something, but it'll be
Speaker:in my mind And hopefully your mind too But I'll be playing some highlights of
Speaker:the first 46 7 episodes of this podcast and no tears, no tears at all from
Speaker:anybody because we are OneFjefPodcast.
Speaker:com We're now going into season two.
Speaker:And if there were tears, you know, save them for like a phone call, call
Speaker:the podcast and cry on the phone.
Speaker:That phone number is in the show notes.
Speaker:I cannot remember it to save my life.
Speaker:669 241 5882. I think that's it.
Speaker:669 241 5882. Somebody call 669 241 5882, country code one, and let
Speaker:me know if it, if it's the number.
Speaker:Just leave a message, because if I get it right, I don't need it anymore.
Speaker:669 241 5882. How about that, brain?
Speaker:Good job.
Speaker:When you least expect it, that old brain just
Speaker:Anyway, so yeah, compilation of season 1 highlights coming, and then
Speaker:Chris Casey episode 50, beginning of season 2, and then puppies and
Speaker:rainbows, and lollipops, and gumdrops.
Speaker:So many gumdrops.
Speaker:So many gumdrops.
Speaker:Uh, several people messaged me, Oh, is Cinco de Mayo fun there?
Speaker:Do they do things?
Speaker:Do they have No, no, no.
Speaker:They don't really do that.
Speaker:Boo, boo, boo, boo, boo.
Speaker:Uh, what an episode.
Speaker:I'm glad there's another episode after this one in Season 1, because I don't
Speaker:want Season 1 to go out with this episode.
Speaker:Nobody does.
Speaker:Although maybe it's the perfect way for it to go out.
Speaker:But it doesn't matter, because it's not going out that way.
Speaker:What if episode 49 disappears, Jef?
Speaker:What?
Speaker:What if episode 49 disappears?
Speaker:What do you mean disappears?
Speaker:Like what if it, you know, just like goes missing?
Speaker:I don't think that's gonna happen.
Speaker:Okay, um, I think that's all for me for now.
Speaker:I'll try to throw some other stuff in here to make this a little
Speaker:bit more of a chunky episode.
Speaker:If you know what I mean, not chunky as in like, Poop chunks.
Speaker:Chunky isn't like content, right?
Speaker:You understood.
Speaker:You didn't need me to say poop, but I did anyway.
Speaker:And more meaty episodes, or more smooth, non chunky episodes will be coming out
Speaker:in the next week, two, three, four.
Speaker:I've got interviews already recorded, so don't you go a worryin about that thing,
Speaker:because everything's gonna be all right.
Speaker:Patreon subscribers, I love you.
Speaker:If you're not a Patreon subscriber, I love you anyway.
Speaker:But I will love you more if you do go to patreon.
Speaker:com slash onefjef and sign up for as little as five dollars a month.
Speaker:Extra content, early episodes sometimes, other stuff yet to be
Speaker:determined, but absolutely it's going to be the place to be.
Speaker:You don't want to be one of the proletariat, you want
Speaker:to be one of the tariots.
Speaker:Or the anti proletariats.
Speaker:Patreon.
Speaker:com slash onefjef.
Speaker:Go there now.
Speaker:Do that thing.
Speaker:Do it all.
Speaker:Do it.
Speaker:Bing.
Speaker:Oh, no, I was about to ask you something, but I decided against it because it
Speaker:would go down a whole nother rabbit hole and I don't feel like that's necessary.
Speaker:Mexico City is sinking into the ground, although I haven't
Speaker:I wish you could see it visibly, because it's about a foot a year in some places,
Speaker:I think, which is a significant amount for any area of land to drop in one year.
Speaker:Like, a foot?
Speaker:It might even be more than that, I don't know.
Speaker:Everybody says Mexico City is this like remarkable walking
Speaker:city and I think it's true.
Speaker:I think it is.
Speaker:I've said this many times myself It's a great walking city many parts of it are
Speaker:anyway, but it's also not a great walking city It's also a dangerous walking city
Speaker:combined with the fact that you don't need to get there You know, prove that
Speaker:you can drive to get a driver's license.
Speaker:There's also not really many crosswalks.
Speaker:I mean there's some but not very many, and the ones that there are are kind of
Speaker:confusing and you're always having to like look for where the crosswalk is.
Speaker:But usually the crosswalk is just you looking at the traffic light
Speaker:to see if it's green or red.
Speaker:So you know whether to cross or not.
Speaker:And sometimes that's not easy.
Speaker:It's, it's sketchy.
Speaker:And there's some intersections here that are truly like unhinged, several
Speaker:lanes of traffic merging into one while people are trying to cross the street.
Speaker:It's, it's nuts.
Speaker:And then the sidewalks are legitimate, like, but I understand.
Speaker:I'm not judging because it's very hard to maintain sidewalk
Speaker:smoothness when your city is sinking at rates of up to a foot a year.
Speaker:Like your sidewalks are going to get messed up, just the way it is.
Speaker:But they are perilous, and I'm still impressed with myself.
Speaker:Knock on wood that I have not tripped or fallen on the sidewalk yet.
Speaker:Not yet.
Speaker:I never will.
Speaker:I never will.
Speaker:Almost.
Speaker:Very close.
Speaker:Many times.
Speaker:But, uh, using my highly attuned balance, thanks to years of yoga
Speaker:practice, I was able to right myself.
Speaker:And not.
Speaker:I have a tumble under the Mexico City streets.
Speaker:Not today, my friends.
Speaker:No tumble today.
Speaker:Tumble tomorrow, maybe, but not tumble today.
Speaker:No tumble today.
Speaker:All right, like, subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
Speaker:Thank you all for listening.
Speaker:I, I don't know.
Speaker:I'm convinced there's something interesting about the way
Speaker:that I talk about this crap.
Speaker:Like that's what the podcast is really is me just like being like,
Speaker:oh, I know that I'm good at that that I can talk and into a microphone
Speaker:or interview people or whatever.
Speaker:I know that I'm good at that.
Speaker:But, I mean, am I?
Speaker:I don't even know.
Speaker:I'm not asking you for praise.
Speaker:Yes, I am.
Speaker:I'm asking you for praise.
Speaker:I'm absolutely asking for praise.
Speaker:669 241 5882. Ah, I remember the phone number.
Speaker:I hope that's the right one.
Speaker:I really do.
Speaker:If it's not, it's going to be bad for, you know, Farmer John.
Speaker:God damn it, this isn't onefjef the podcast.
Speaker:I told you, hooligans.
Speaker:Getting my shotgun.
Speaker:All right, uh, enough of this tomfoolery.
Speaker:Episode 48.
Speaker:Wow, how about that?
Speaker:Good job, Jef Taylor.
Speaker:Good job, buddy.
Speaker:I hope you're all doing extremely well, and if you're not doing well, that
Speaker:you're at least accepting that part of life is not doing well sometimes,
Speaker:but you'll do well again soon enough.
Speaker:I promise.
Speaker:And I'll leave you With a quote from Ovid, big fan of Ovid, I think
Speaker:his first name was Bob, Bob Ovid, Jim, Jim Ovid, Jimmy, Jimmy Ovid.
Speaker:Everything changes, nothing is lost.
Speaker:I'll see you next week.
Speaker:Very good, Jeffrey.
