Thanksgiving 2021 Special

Hey, this is Josh Keaton and you are listening

to the Geekcast Radio Network. You're listening

to the Geekcast Radio Network. Unleash the geek

in you Happy Thanksgiving 2021 everyone We are

altering geek cast radio. This is Thanksgiving

2021 yes, like you said It's been a while since

we've had an altered geek and it's been a little

while since we've had a geek cast radio and the

holidays basically snuck up on both of us, I

think. Yeah, really. I mean, it does not feel

like it should be November 2021. I don't know

what happened. Not sure. No clue. And for the

first time in four years, I'm just going to say

this now, get it out of the way. This is the

first Thanksgiving, first Christmas I will be

without Karen because she passed away November

6th, 2021. it sucks life is changing once again

we had all these plans and everything else and

it is what it is so now you know it's really

hard it's really difficult to go from being a

we to a me like usually you think it's you know

going from being a single person to a married

person it's really hard it's also really difficult

going backwards because Like I just changed like

I have special instructions on my door dash thing

for when I get food delivered Which isn't often

because I'm poor but It says it used to say on

there Press this code We will buzz you in tonight

Because I wanted to try and we can talk about

this because it ties into Thanksgiving and food

and whatever else. I wanted to try Dairy Queen's

new rotisserie whatever nuggets they have whatever

So I changed the delivery instructions from we

will let you into I will let you in and I was

like, oh god that hurts I am very thankful for

the four years that Karen and I had together

we had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs and it

was supposed to be longer, but sadly it wasn't

and It is what it is. But man, it just doesn't

Halloween snuck up on us, at least it snuck up

on me, and I don't. I'm the one eating the candy.

I'm the seven -year -old in the 42 -year -old's

body eating the candy. I don't give candy to

kids. I shut my lights off when I hear footsteps

in front of my door. You know what I mean? happened

and I'm like oh god and then Karen got you know

her her illness just progressed really rapidly

and all of that and I didn't even have time for

my whole and I've said this for years all thanksgivings

matter because I've always felt that we go straight

from Halloween to Christmas because that's what

happens with commercial you know we've talked

about this before on these podcasts I don't know.

I just know yeah, it is I didn't even watch the

great pumpkin this year I don't even remember

the year that like I think the maybe 2017 2018

when Karen and I first got together You know,

I think that's the last time I watched great

pumpkin Like I said, I'm very thankful for the

years that we had together, but now I have to

forge on You know and Change and everything else.

So for for the Phillips's Thanksgiving, what's

going on in Colorado this year? Well Since we

kind of decided what we're doing today We're

we're going to You know how Sam's Club has like

those pre -made chickens. Yep So they're like

five six bucks. Yeah, every time we go in there

we buy one Just because it's it's easy eating

And we can reuse it for multiple meals. So we're

going to go buy one of those. And we're going

to make very minimal food, like, you know, some

some stuffing, some mashed potatoes and maybe

some biscuits and some some greens and green

beans or just some other stuff. And then we're

going to play board games. and watch a movie

at home. And that's going to consist of our Thanksgiving

because we live 1 ,500 miles away from our family.

Hey, you know what? Good paying job and voiceover

if that's where it takes you. That's where it

takes you. I don't know. Yeah, you know, I mean,

I'm just saying. Yeah For me and Thanksgiving

this year Whatever is in my freezer You know,

I've never been I've always been the guy to bring

the cranberry sauce kind of thing or bring something

to somebody's house kind of thing or Help out

with setting up like when I was in When I was

living back in in Louisville at California square

one apartments They would do this little meal

thing like a couple, you know, you know how all

these these places not not just apartment buildings,

but like I come from Being in states care when

I was younger. So, you know when I was in state's

custody, we would always do like a celebration

like not necessarily a week before Thanksgiving,

but like The Monday of things so that way, you

know We would still do something at say the group

home on Thanksgiving But the big thing where

everybody and all the staff it was always a few

days before So, you know, I was always the guy

bringing stuff or or whatever or making up some

weird Concoction or something like that. I was

never the the cooker the the meal prepper or

anything like that You know it is what it is

What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish?

If you could only pick one side dish to have,

what would it be? It's either stovetop, which

drives my wife nuts and her family because they

make it from bread. I like stovetop because it's

crispier. Yep, and it's just better. It's horrible

for you, but it tastes good. That's that's kind

of But I would say probably the blake bisquick

biscuits. My mom used to make those when I was

a kid So that's that's always been a staple for

me. And so I can't help it Yeah for me if I had

to pick one side dish it would probably be a

very lightly lumped mashed potatoes. Like they

can't have too many lumps, but they can't be

runny either. I don't want it to be like the

Rocky Mountains of mashed potatoes, but the...

I'm against them taters. Yeah, exactly. Put them

in a salad. Or mash them, stick them in a stew.

That's a new version of that saying. No for me

though at holiday time whether it's Thanksgiving

or Christmas or you know those two holidays specifically

If I could only ever eat one thing to go with

turkey or chicken or whatever It's a Pillsbury's

grands the crescent rolls. Oh, oh Yeah, I forgot

rolls. Oh, yes. Yes. Oh Yes, I will take back

my previous. Crescent rolls cannot be beat. Yes.

No, they cannot. It doesn't matter what it is.

It doesn't matter. Like, I'll try to open one

of those things up and make a turkey sandwich

from a crescent roll, folks. They're that damn

good. Yeah. I hope everyone is having a safe

year this year. I hope everyone is gonna have

a safe Thanksgiving. I do hope if people do decide

to have family gatherings that everyone is going

to be safe. And I'm just thankful for everybody

who's still listening to the sound of our voices

because I know at this point people are probably

tired of hearing mine. Yeah, pretty much. That's

that answer right there, folks. Yep. That's funny

right there. I don't care who you are. Yep, yep.

As you can tell, I've been having fun with my

hick voice, so. Yeah, it's a hick voice, folks.

The goddamn taters right there. The taters are

right there, and then there's the cranberry sauce

and the green beans. Hey, what them yellow beans

doing in there? Get them yellow beans out of

there, you yellow. Get yellow beans out of there.

Yep. I think we've just turned this into country

cast radio. I don't know. I'm a horrible human

being. I get to be a pig herder soon in an episode.

So basically, that's going to be that voice that

I use right there. Or it's going to be kind of

like this right here. A pig herder or a pig farmer?

Yeah, pig herder. That's what it says in the

script. So that's what I'm going with. OK. All

right, then. Useless human being, but he he likes

them piggies. That one ain't going to market,

folks. That one's going wee, wee, wee all the

way home. Bunch of bacon right there. So listen

to them sizzle. That's horrible. I need to find

a sizzling sound effect now. I just hope that

everybody has a good, safe Thanksgiving. What

do you guys do for your traditions? What do you

do for your holiday? We never really did much.

We would always get the simplest turkey to cook.

You know mashed potatoes that kind of you know

corn and not necessarily corn on the cob but

for me if I could choose between corn off the

cob and corn on the cob I would choose corn on

the cob because It's just more fun that way But

we never really Karen and I never really made

a big deal out of Thanksgiving We never ended

up going to any I don't remember us going to

the family members that she has left that are

alive Like I said in the beginning of this podcast,

we had plans if things didn't go the way they

went. I told her, once we both get healthier,

once we both get to a point where we can travel

again, where we feel safe traveling again, I

said, we've seen your family, we've seen your

cousin Ross, we've seen your cousins Ross and

Crystal, Jack and Robert and all them. Time to

go north woman. It's time to go to Massachusetts.

It's time for me to go home again because I haven't

been home since I haven't been to Massachusetts

since 2012 when I brought mom to Kentucky and

Not even when my mom died in 2015. I never went

never went home never did any of that. So I told

her I said 2021 2022 whatever happens, you know

We're going to Massachusetts and After she passed

I talked to my my aunt Debbie and my aunt Debbie's

like She's I love my aunt Debbie. She's so great.

She's my my uncle Robert's ex -wife Well, they

they got divorced whatever Robert was my mother's

brother. So Debbie and her three kids Rachel

Robbie and Cassie who are all grown up and all

of I think I don't think Robbie has kids, but

I know Cassie has three And Rachel has four,

I think that's right. Anyway, the point is Debbie

is like that mother that you know that is like,

oh, well, what would you like to eat? As soon

as you walk in the door, what do you want to

eat? Let me know. You know what I mean? Oh, you

know, the first thing she said to me when I called

her the other day, she's like, Mikey you got

to come up here to Massachusetts. I'm like Debbie.

I can't come there right now Karen just died

I don't even have the at this point of recording

I don't have the death certificate and I don't

have the remains but all of that has been taken

care of as far as financially Luckily my dad

stepped in and helped me out But you know, she's

like, oh you got to come see us and I'm like

Debbie I wish I could but I now have to move

apartments. I now have to figure out where I'm

going to live and whatever. And unless you're

going to make room for me in your apartment,

I don't think that's going to work. But she's

one of those family members. She's one of those

aunts that as soon as you say something to her,

she's like, oh, you got to come see us kind of

thing. And I love that about her. I've always

loved that about her. I'm not complaining about

it, but it's just one of those things where.

That was gonna be the next evolution for Karen

and I was to go home to Massachusetts so I could

show her all the stuff and have her meet all

the family and Sadly that won't happen now, but

you know Again, as I said at the beginning of

this I am thankful for the four years that we

had together so much laughter I could With how

annoying I can be every time I made her like

somehow like she would sometimes have this constant

frown on her face and I could just Say one thing

and I would keep saying that one thing over and

over and over again until she Started cackling

her ass off kind of thing. I haven't Spoken about

this story, but we were in I think were we in

Wisconsin. I think we were in Lake Geneva I think

anyway, we were at some restaurant and It had

been a while since I had pasta like true Italian

pasta You don't know truly Italian pasta unless

you're on the East Coast. Okay. Well what I've

heard Michigan well Michigan is still the Midwest

yeah I know well Colorado sucks for okay for

Italian I understand that but you know Colorado

is you know Faustus for beer not real yeah we

got tacos nobody want that spicy crap in their

Italian food give me that sweet sauce but my

point is is we were at some like some restaurant

in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and I don't know what

it was, it was like right down the, it was literally

like a walk around the block from where the hotel

we were staying at. And we're sitting there eating

the meal, eating the meal, and on the way back,

I started farting. And I couldn't stop. And every

time I would fart, I would say, ooh, pasta! Because...

I hadn't had anything before I ate that damn

pasta So, you know this is Right now I kind of

feel like Robin Williams from Good Will Hunting.

I feel like Sean Maguire You know where he's

talking about his memories of his wife and and

things like that and whatever else and and all

that and it just it's just one of those things

where I wasn't sure what we were gonna end up

doing this year for Thanksgiving because she

had been sick and she Until I get the death certificate,

I keep saying it was liver and kidney failure

I don't know if that's actually what it is, but

I assume that's what it is or what it was and

It's just one of those things where We never

really planned anything because it's always just

it's like you get it's not like you and Mary

and the kids But you know you've said in this

episode you guys are what? 1500 miles or whatever.

However, the door is from your actual families

in Michigan. Well, we have nobody out here like

Nobody and again people might be listening to

me say that and I always follow it up with saying

this Her dream was to be on the Oregon coast.

She wanted to live on the Oregon coast. And we

compromised with Vancouver, Washington since

even though it's in Washington state versus Oregon,

Oregon is literally like right across the bridge.

So they're basically neighbors between Portland,

Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. So we're still

Would it be better for us to go to the coast

where she only has to drive three hours or two

hours versus flying three hours from Chicago

to get out here and then having to drive another

three hours and we never she just We both had

our health issues We both had all the things

going on and we just never just things kept hitting

us in the ass And we just could never get out

of it as far as being able to and plus you know

with covid and travel restrictions and whatever

at the time in 2020 you know last year like we

just never could get out there and so when i

do get her remains i'm going to go spread her

on the oregon coast because that's where she

wanted to be so the sad thing is because i don't

drive Have to figure out what to do with Lacey

Which Lacey was the main is the main coon cat

that Karen had since Lacey was a kitten This

cat is like 13 14 years old She mainly sleeps

most of the time She doesn't like she's not one

of those cats that'll get into she's not Aunt

Bethany's cat from Christmas vacation where she's

gonna chew up the Christmas lights She's not

she's not one of those cats. She's very chill,

very mellow. The problem is, yes, I can feed

her. Yes, I can change her litter box and water

her and all that. But I can't even though she's

an indoor cat and only an indoor cat. I don't

drive. I can't take her to the vet like my cat

hasn't been to the vet in like seven years. Really?

No. If the cat doesn't leave the house, you honestly

don't need to take him out. You're the second

person that's told me that. You're the first

person that's told me that on a podcast, but.

No, I mean, honestly, my cat is 16 other than

the medication. I mean, we got her shots and

stuff before we left Michigan, just because we

were already going in there for. Right. Right.

Sedatives to just chill her out while we move.

Right. You know, the 15, 1800 miles across country.

But honestly, before that. We hadn't taken her

to the vet in years. And because they don't leave

the house, they stay in. I don't we don't spend

the money on the cat. And honestly, like she's

perfectly healthy. I mean, she sleeps a lot.

She talks a lot. But other than that, like the

cat doesn't go outside. So it's not she doesn't

need all these shots and crazy stuff. Now, my

dog, on the other hand. Because she does go outside

you have to get all these little shots because

they're dumb and they get into stuff Yeah, so,

you know in that regard You know dogs are more

expensive Whereas a cat is you know other than

the litter box and the food they're pretty self

-sufficient Hmm true All right, well, maybe I

can keep her then I don't know I just I don't

feel like I'm Even though I'm giving her everything

she needs and even though she is Obviously, I'm

the only one here now Karen's not and that was

the other thing Karen never really got to say

goodbye to her Of course Karen couldn't say goodbye

to really anybody like I didn't even and people

might say I'm cold for doing this but the way

I see it is I'm sparing myself the emotion and

Remembering her the way she was versus the way

she ended as far as leaving this world. Once

she went to hospice, I never saw her. The last

time I saw her, she was on the stretcher to go

to hospice. Like I said at the beginning of this,

I'm not trying to draw this out, folks, even

though it's longer than I told Steve it would

be, so he's probably gonna have to murder me.

Hey, look, if you murder me, I can go see my

wife. I'm not gonna murder you. I know you're

not It's too far. You won't drive all this way

just to kill me. I mean, come on. No I'm not

worth that much But you know, it's just one of

those things where I Have all these memories

Well, you want to hold on to the best, you know,

and I get it Yeah, I have all these memories

and I have all this stuff and I mean I saw my

grandmother when she was like barely coherent

like both of them like my great grandmother and

my my grandma and on my dad's side and the one

on my dad's side had cancer and Lung cancer and

some other stuff and she lost all her hair and

she totally forgot who we were Even though we

were visiting her in the hospital like she thought

I was my uncle Do you look like your uncle? No.

Like not only do I not weigh the same thing as

my uncle. I look nothing like him and I'm like

I'm like 30 years difference. Sure. So, yeah,

I it was. Yeah. Just played along with it. I'm

like, yeah, she's incoherent She doesn't even

you know, I'm at least but it was it was still

jarring and shocking and then my great grandma

when They moved her from one facility to another

because she just refused to Do certain things.

I mean she was in her late 90s and They moved

her to a hospice facility and then she just kind

of sat there in a chair and bear like she was

barely awake when you were there to visit. And

it was it was kind of sad. Like I. That's one

thing that kind of a blessing and a curse because

I can mimic voices. I learned what my great grandmother's

voice was with her 90s age. Don't you dare do

it. I'm not going to do it on the podcast. I've

done it in front of my children because they're

like, you sound like great grandma. And and I'm

like, yeah, I'm like, I would never do that in

front of my mom. Because that was her grandma.

Right, right. And it would. Yeah, I just I could

never do that to her. Now, if she asked to hear

it. Yeah. And she's like, you know, and I was

like, hey, I can actually, you know, she's like

having a down moment or something. And it's like,

you know, I miss my grandma and blah, blah, blah.

Could be like, you know, I can't let you hear

her without because I, you know, same gene pool.

You can usually channel somebody. Yeah. But yeah,

so I don't know. It's it's hard. Yeah, it's really

hard. And, you know, it's. We never really like

You know how you always oh married couples the

big the big Christmas thing or the big birthdays

Oh, that's the other that's gonna be the other

hard thing Her 45th birthday is November 27th

Thanksgiving is the 25th Anyway, but like I Would

either make her stuff Or like, I know you've

said this for years, that you make merry stuff

when you can't afford stuff or whatever else.

Or if there was a specific something that she

liked or she wanted or she, you know, tied to

her interests. Like, she has like two different

Hermione or Hermione or her whiney or whatever

Harry Potter girl figure that Hermione is. She

has like two different Funko Pops of her. You

know that you know that kind of stuff it was

never. Oh, let me get you 17 million dollar jewelry

I don't know said I wish I had 17 million dollars,

but I don't you know so exactly 17 million dollars

we build the geek cast radio networks in person

studios in Colorado, and I can live in the back

bedroom Just kidding anyway No, you're not. Not

really, no. Not if we had it and we did it. Hell,

no. Are you kidding me? I'd live there all damn

time. Anyway, as I said earlier, I hope everyone

has a happy Thanksgiving. Hope everyone has a

safe Thanksgiving. I hope that what we have done

last year and this year, even though I was kind

of retired last year, I hope these last couple

of years of our shows have really helped people

get through what has been going on in real life

and everything else. As far as Altered Geek goes,

I'll say this. I think next time we're going

to have to do an Altered Tech episode because

in going from a married or a person as a couple

versus a single person, I've had to switch all

of my technology. Probably an interesting conversation.

Absolutely, that's why next time specifically

for Altered Geek, not for both feeds, but maybe

we could do the tech things of Christmas or something

as a Christmas episode for Altered Geek or something.

But I have switched from the Samsung Galaxy S9

from God knows how long ago to the Google Pixel

6 Pro. Yeah, I got the Pixel 3A XL. Which is

the larger version of the 3a of the 3a. Yeah,

but What I like about it is it has all physical

ports on everything And it's and it's the because

it's the XL it has a bigger hard drive and it

has a bigger battery Yeah, so and I've got a

I've got a headphone jack Yeah, sadly that's

one thing I wish Google had done for the pixel

6 Pro Well, when you get the mainline ones, they

don't come with that. But if you get the A version,

not only is it half the price. Oh, well, that's

the interesting thing about the 6 and the 6 Pro

this year. The 6 was $600. The 6 Pro was $900.

So Google, with the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, severely

undercutting Apple and Samsung prices for the

Ultra. That's what the Google Pixel 6 Pro is.

It's basically your iPhone 13 Pro Max and your

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. And before this came

out, I was inching towards the S21 Ultra. And

then I saw various reviews of the Pixel 6 Pro

and I was like, ooh, okay, cool. It's just really

weird not using one UI, which is Samsung's thing,

which I've been using for years now, and having

to get used to stock. Not necessarily stock,

but as stock as Google's Android does and whatever.

But I have Android 12. I'm not a fan of Android

12. Really? Talk about this next time folks.

Yeah, I hate the bubbles and then I hate the

fact that it's like so Yeah, I preferred Android

11 Much much more The sad thing is on the Samsung

s9 I never had they never got to update 11 before

I obviously upgraded to the Pixel 6 Pro but like

every update I'm like, okay good I'm gonna get

Android 11 on this now. It only ended up being

like 10 or whatever and I'll say this now and

I'll say this next time when we do altered tech

I am so glad so glad they went away from pie

and ice cream and chicken wangs and whatever

other food items the dessert things they were

calling like 10 11 12 13 whatever fine like I'm

so like so glad that especially like Samsung

now 21 22 23 so every year model is going to

be the year of the year model versus You know

the iPhone 17 25 point seven Max Pro Ultra this

whatever I just could never switch back to Apple's

ecosystem. I haven't been an Apple's ecosystem

in years, but anyway Thanksgiving it is upon

us folks. Don't eat too much because You you

can eat all you want, but you can't stay here.

So you got to be able to drive For altered geek

we have been Steve Megatron and on the geek cast

radio side I am of course TF2 and Mike join us

next time over an altered geek when Steve and

I will be talking more tech stuff with altered

tech for Christmas and Yeah, this has been awesome,

folks. This has been great. Happy Thanksgiving

to everybody. Unleash the holiday geek in you,

and we will catch you next time.