(no music) Q&A Friday LMBYTS #1472 Jason Newland 24th October 2025

Hello and welcome to jasonnewland.com. This is Q&A Friday and I'm making this on Saturday afternoon at 3.08. Being very lazy. So welcome, my name is Jason Newland. Please only listen when you can safely close your eyes.

Do you notice this right? This is my beard. I do a video today, I don't know if I'll actually launch it or not. And that's my hair.

My beard grows longer than my hair does. And you might be thinking that's because you're bald mate, which is a bit rude. And that was a weird opener, wasn't it? A couple of bits of information, a couple of bits of information.

I have, what have I done? Yesterday, I was in a mood. So I couldn't do a recording. If we're going to be honest, that's the honest truth.

Had this weird experience. And it wasn't anything strange, really. But it was strange enough to I don't know what it was, but some in the park with Vinnie.

I'm talking to a couple of people. I'm talking to one lady who I see very regularly. Her dog loves me.

And then another couple with their dog that I see quite regularly are walking up. And I'm talking to one of the ladies, the one that I'm always talking to, you know, before the other two came back up. And the lady, this is going to get confusing.

She don't know who anyone is, do you? I don't know what their names are. But the lady, one of the couple, was holding Vinnie's lead. So I've got the end of the lead and he's got it on his neck.

She's holding the lead and pulling it back to me. What are you doing? Well, I don't want to get tangled. So it's like, that's weird kind of weird behavior.

And then she just is acting strange towards me. Do you know when you know someone's acting strange? And I didn't really know why. Maybe it's because I let her car wheels down, the tires down.

I don't know. Some people hold a grudge. But I didn't do that.

Just in case you think I'm being shrewd. I didn't do that. And then there's weird behavior, the way she's, she doesn't allow other, she can't, doesn't let people give her dog treats because her dog's got an upset stomach or whatever.

So it's fine. I remember not to do that. But she, every time the dog came near me, she called her dog back.

And so did he. Like I was going to infect the dog or something. Like keep away from that man.

And the dog was off the lead. All three of the dogs, there's another dog came along. So all the dogs were off the lead except Vinnie.

He's on the lead. And then another one of the dog walkers starts feeding her dog. So I just say, oh, what are you feeding? Didn't think she could have any food.

Didn't think your dog could have like treats. And she says, oh, only treats if I don't know what they are. Can only have decent things.

Like, well, I have dog food. I don't, you know, mine's actually food that I give, that I take out with me. Not bits of chocolate.

You know what I mean? It's not like Reese's Pieces or M&M's. It's dog food. And if she doesn't want me to feel a dog, fine, I don't.

And I remember and I don't. But it turns out she was giving this lady treats to give to her dog. And then a dog came over to me to say hello.

No, come back, come back. Very strange. And I don't know what it was.

It really upset me. I really just that behavior. And I come home.

This was yesterday in the morning, probably about nine o'clock. And I come home and I'm like, it was just bugging me. Like, what's going on there? That was really strange.

The way she was acting and he was kind of participating in it as well, really. So what is it? And I haven't given, I did give that dog treats once before I realized it wasn't allowed to have treats. But that was months and months ago.

And I've seen them loads of times since. I remember, I mean, generally, I ask everyone, is your dog, can your dog have treats? Apart from those I know, 100%. And the dogs at 100% generally come up to me and start off asking for them.

That their dog wasn't asking me for treats. She was just coming over to say hello. Weird.

It's really weird. And it just didn't feel. I don't know.

Hard to explain. I think something else happened yesterday, but I can't remember. Oh, yeah.

Thursday night. Again, it's whenever I take him out, that's the only time I get to see humans. I took him out in the evening.

Because I like to watch Big Brother at nine o'clock. Well, it's on at nine. But I like to watch that.

Then when that finishes, I have a shower. And then I get ready for bed. That's my routine at the moment.

And so if I can, I'll take him out before Big Brother's on. So maybe about 8.30, eight o'clock, something like that. Or I'll have to take him out just in the garden to do a quick wee wee after Big Brother and then he'll go to bed and I'll get ready for bed.

But on this occasion on Thursday night, I took him out about eight o'clock. Yeah, it's about eight o'clock. And the chip van came up.

I heard the ship van and ship van, ship van. And as I'm heading towards going back home from the park, the chip van is pulling up. And that felt horrible because whenever I hear the sound of the chip van, how many times do you think I can say chip van in this sentence? Chip van, chip van, chip van, chip van, chip van, chip van.

Every time I hear the sound, it's a bit like an ice cream van converted into a chip van. It's the same kind of size. It's got a jingle, but it sounds like crushed metal, like that kind of thing.

That wasn't a good impression, by the way. No, it wasn't. But I'm used to hearing it.

I've been hearing it for what seven years, probably eight years, maybe longer. They've been coming around the estate. Yeah.

So now when I hear it, I think of Uncle Sausages because Uncle Sausages was, he was out there every single time they came. He was their most regular customer. They used to buy him Christmas presents.

Seriously, he was Mr. Regular. And if he as he got older, sometimes you couldn't hear it so well. But you know, a few years back, he'd be out there waiting for hours sometimes.

I mean, sometimes it don't always turn up. Occasionally they don't turn up. And he's out there for like two hours on and off.

Like come and go and come and go and come and go. That's not very regular. But in the summer, it doesn't really doesn't didn't wait didn't seem to care so much, but he'd be out there in the winter.

And I didn't realize I didn't realize that. I thought was just like, okay, you haven't fish and chips on a Thursday, but he didn't. He'd keep the fish till Friday.

Because part his growing up, he used to have fish and chips on a Friday. So he would have he keep the fish. I think he'd put it in the mic.

Yeah, I think he put in a microwave or something on a Friday. Or he'd have half on Thursday, half on Friday, something like that. And he'd have about four cans of drink like pop.

I'd buy Tango, Coke, seven up whatever. And some mushy peas, I do believe. Sometimes a sausage, but sometimes you get one for Vinnie.

He got one with batter once, didn't he? Vinnie was not happy. Don't like batter. So I've now got that sound of that van connected with Uncle Sausage's.

So when I hear it, I think of him. And that's the first time I've seen it outside there on a Thursday night. Like seeing the people really, I've seen them.

They come one week day during the week during the daytime. So that I went up there and told them that Uncle Sausage's had departed us. But they all didn't know anyway.

And it was just the first time that it'd been like a normal night. And Uncle Sausage's wasn't standing there, because he'd always be first. He'd be waiting for the van.

And it was just weird, really weird. So yeah, so yeah, I've got some chips, got one packet chips and sausage and it came to like seven pound something, which is, I think the annoying thing about the chips is they give me way too much. I only eat, I don't eat, probably eat a third of what they give me, I have to chuck the rest away.

I tried asking for half portions, but they just weren't doing it. They didn't like that. They want the money, don't they? Then a neighbour comes up and says, can I have two one pound portions of chips? And I thought, okay.

So I said, I'll pay for that. I'd already paid for my stuff, so I'll pay for that. Because it's for this, my neighbour's little girl, and maybe a friend or something, so I can just be nice, I'll pay that, it's a couple of pounds.

And I said, I'll have a sausage. Yeah, no, at this point, I hadn't had a sausage. I only got the chips, so the chips was like three pounds or something.

So I thought, I'll get a sausage. So they charged me for a sausage, and two one pound packs of chips, and it was over seven pounds. Because they got confused, because the person who was ordering the one pound chips was all over the place.

I was saying, I want my daughter, I want my dad. They're not going to give a pound, one pound thing of chips to an adult. And the person didn't seem to, in the van, didn't seem to know what was going on.

He was so confused. So my little good deed of the day, buying two little bags of chips, didn't work out very well for me financially. That annoyed me.

I think the annoying thing with that wasn't really about money, it was just things don't have to be that confusing. Really, do they? I mean, just, then it was kind of, you've got one person's all over the place, and you've got a person that's perhaps struggling a little bit with the English. And then you've got me, that's probably making things more confusing as well.

So it's just, and then they're trying to serve other people and probably forgot who's paid and who hasn't. So that annoyed me Thursday. I just keep getting annoyed at things.

This is a positive recording. Vinnie is winding up a bit. I realised we've got no synchronicity, me and him.

When I go out, I'm walking in a certain direction. The amount of times he wants to go in a different direction. It doesn't care where I'm going, he wants to go where he wants to go.

And he will just stand defiantly. I thought dogs are supposed to like, do what their owners say. And if an owner's walking that way, then the dog walks that way with them.

That's the point of having a lead, isn't it? But not him. And he's still barking at other dogs. I wish he wouldn't do that.

You know, when I leave my flat, the communal door, there's a hedge, and there's the edge of the wall. So I can't see either side. I can't see round corners.

I don't think many people can, but I can't see anything that could just be walking through. So I have to stop as if I'm crossing the road and look around the corner to the right and then to the left to see if there's someone, not so much on a bike, but that is always a thing, isn't it? Then just look around, see if there's a dog that might try and eat him.

Because a few dogs are a little bit aggressive.

And another one, look the other side. Things like that just annoy me. And then earlier, as I'm still moaning.

So I'm in the park with Vinnie, and this was a couple of hours ago. He's taken me all around the estate. So I thought, okay, I'll just follow him for a bit.

And we're coming through an alleyway going back into the park. And there's a bloke on a bike entering the alleyway at the same time that I'm entering the alleyway, the other side, opposite ends. So I kind of pull out of the way, and the bloke doesn't really slow down.

This is an adult on a bike. Doesn't even acknowledge me, the fact that I gave way for him to go down there. I don't know, just little things.

It's the little things. So my girlfriend always used to say, it's a little things are annoying. How many people have visited my website today? Let's have a look.

Let's have a look, my baby. Okay, a few. I would let you know that Let Me Bore You To Sleep.com has is now up again.

I would let you know that I'm not going to let you know that but it is up and up and running again. And I've decided whatever I do, between now and Christmas, will continue throughout 2026, all being well. So I will continue the things I'm doing.

So in a way you might argue we might say yeah, but the Let Me Bore You To Sleep was a point never met there, which I would argue that as well. So what's the point in having the Let Me Bore You To Sleep.com, which I would kind of agree with you. That was my opinion a little bit.

However, at the same time, every single one of my recordings, nearly has to be updated, is on there that you can download. That's kind of quite good, you know. So what I might do is I'm just thinking of just playing around a bit.

Not going to promote it, I'm just going to work on it and get the have a link from my jasonnewland.com website. So you can click on there. And this background with all this can't even get it off.

It's all it is, it's just sticky stuff. The backing of the soundproofing that used to be up there. I might try and get some kind of curtain, just to give the backdrop a little bit more, a less, less of a moldy wall look, you know, I mean, it's not moldy.

I've got no mold in this. The only mold in this flat is in my head probably. So, other than that, things are good.

And I was actually watching on YouTube a blog, well, you know, a vlog from Boston Chickie. And she kind of reminded me of the benefit of just having a person talk without any music, without any other distractions, apart from maybe Vinnie. Just talk slowly, so there's no like fast you know, like, well, probably a majority of the videos on YouTube are very fast talking.

They purposely miss out the gaps between words. There's actually apps you can get for that. I could record this while I'm recording it.

I could edit it. So every gap was taken out. Every um, every ah, every ooh, whatever sounds I make can all be taken out.

And it will be one long sentence, basically. And that to me is hard to listen to. Because sometimes I go online on YouTube, I need maybe a tutorial to help me with, I don't know what it is, whatever.

And I'm trying to think if there was something I tried to do the other day. And I was looking for tutorials. And I went through quite a few.

Oh, any ideas? I can't remember. So I went through quite a few and they weren't all useful. Some of them were outdated.

And the technology had moved on or the app, you know, trying to use an app or something. But quite a lot of them were just so fast. It's like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Almost sounds like a different language. Because it's so fast, I can't, I can't follow it. Now, if I'm in a room with someone, ironically, I don't necessarily want them to talk really slowly.

So in a conversation, maybe speed it up a bit. Especially if it's a really long sentence or really long paragraph, that they're kind of spewing, that they're talking. So you know, sometimes it's nice for the sentence to be accomplished within a certain amount of time.

In person, but there's extremes. And I can't, I sometimes I will talk very fast. Generally, not on a video, or on a podcast.

But you know, and there are times when I'll be perhaps a little bit too excited about something. But I think videos like my friend Boston Chickie, and spelled how it sounds b-o-s-t-o-n-c-h-i-c-k-i-e. So originally from Boston, now lives in Colorado, I do believe.

And hi, Boston, if you're listening or watching. I, so I was watching Boston Chickie's vlog on YouTube. And it kind of reminded me of what YouTube used to be.

And that's not all it was. But being one of the, including Boston Chickie, one of the first, I say one of the first, first, first out of hundreds of thousands, but still one of the first to really sort of engage in YouTube, like around 2007. And, you know, when I started YouTube, I think you could only have 10 minutes.

I think originally, you could have as long as you wanted. Then they got it down to 10 minutes, because I think it was costing them an absolute fortune. Then they extended it, extended it, extended it to 15 minutes.

And then they, you know, it took a while, and then you were allowed to have up to an hour or something like that. So they changed over time. But YouTube was, I know it's quite famous for being a place where you could watch videos of cats and babies.

You know, cute videos of puppies and toddlers learning to walk and, and was it that kid on a roller coaster, screaming with an ice cream or something. Just, they became really famous videos, viral videos, I guess. And I kind of feel a little bit nostalgic for those days.

Because I didn't realize I was doing ASMR until someone told me I was. So I was doing hypnosis videos. And I was then doing like whispering at the end.

Then I was doing whisper videos, because people say I like it when you whisper at the end. So I was doing, it was always soft spoken. Because hypnosis and shouting that I think really matches very well, not good mix.

And someone, someone pointed out to me, I think in 2011, maybe 2010. You should do more ASMR videos. I thought, what? So I kind of started to, what are you talking about? And they got back to me and said, well, perhaps you should try doing some specifically just ASMR without hypnosis.

I said, I'm not doing ASMR with hypnosis. What are you talking about? And they said, oh, it's the whisper. So it gives tingles and auto, auto motive resensitization.

I don't know what it's called. So I did a bit of research, went on, and it was becoming popular. People tapping and whispering, touching the microphone, brushing their teeth, doing makeup, cooking, and playing with Play-Doh, all kinds of things.

And I did, I experimented and I did quite a few ASMR videos. Back then, it's a long time ago, and I have lost all of those videos. I did a lot.

I lost them. I don't know where they went. I think they just went with my, with my YouTube channel when I deleted it in 2013 or 2014.

Yeah, I think it was 2014. So I, and then, so in 2011, so in 2007, I was doing vlogs, but I didn't know they were called vlogs. I had no idea what a vlog was.

But I did do updates. So I was doing hypnosis recordings, mainly for relaxation, chronic pain relief, and insomnia. And every now and then, not necessarily regularly, I do an update, and I just give it a name, you know, a number, you know, like a date update.

I think the, yeah, I think I've got one from 2007. Then I've got one from 2000. November 2007.

A couple in the summer 2000. And no, no, I'm talking about. So 2007.

And then I've got ones throughout the years leading up to, you know, 2011. When I think I missed I met Boston online. And I think I've done a variety of different vlogs.

But they were just updates. And I joined this, this yearly challenge. So why to why to why something where it was a community of people that made a vlog every day.

I didn't succeed. But I did some pretty strange things that year. Yeah.

So that's when I was kind of was introduced to vlogging. They really although I was doing it, I didn't really think of it as vlogging. That makes sense.

I don't know if I call it Jason chats. Because that's what I called it near later on Jason chats. But that might have been the name I gave it in 2011.

I'd have to go back in time to find out if that makes sense. I can't 100% remember because I was doing I started doing hypno chats in 2010. Where it was a mixture of me just talking about my life talking about things, then easing into a hypnosis session.

I did. I did hypnotic buffet. But that was probably at 2013 2012 time.

So yeah, did a few different things. But I don't know something about I thought it's weird. There's something about there's something about seeing Boston chicky.

I call it Boston, but seeing Boston doing a vlog was just talking. I know that's what I do. Anyway, when I make a video, it's just me talking.

And I realize that but unless it's like hypnosis, if it's just me doing a Let Me Bore You To Sleep is pretty much just a vlog. And I'm talking. But I've kind of not wanted to do one.

Kind of couldn't see the point. The relevance, the need to I thought maybe just having podcasts was enough didn't didn't need to do a video of myself talking. And because it's just easier to record my voice.

There's still a lot of work involved in editing, processing, and all the stuff that goes along with it. Making a video adds like probably two times that amount of time to take to upload and to process and just it's a time consuming thing videos are. And I wasn't sure if there was any use for it.

Especially as I've been just posting automatically my podcasts onto YouTube. But I'm getting a feeling. I don't know why.

Just get this feeling that maybe it could be something useful in doing this on camera as well as on audio. So I still make the podcast. This is a podcast this you know this, this will be saved as an audio.

And then I have a version without music with music, five and 10 hours with and without music. So there'll be six different versions. Plus, this will be the only version on YouTube.

If you want to listen to the other versions, you can just go to my website or go to Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all the links are on the website. Maybe I'll put the links in YouTube as well. In the description.

I don't know, just there's something I just thought, you know what, just listening to Boston. Just talk about her life, talking about how she's feeling. I've watched two of her, I watched a vlog, I think yesterday or two days ago.

And, you know, back back in them days, I think we kind of support each other a bit, you know, back in 2011, 12, 13, fought for years. So we're friends. And I don't know, it's just kind of took me back to the to the real human aspect of the YouTube can be.

Because it can be entertainment, of course, I mean, it's proved that there's so much AI that I do love AI. But there's a lot of AI that, you know, a lot of channels that don't even use people. It's an AI of them.

You know, an avatar, whatever you call it. So in a couple of years time, people won't even need to film themselves. So as time goes by, people are going to look more and more perfect on YouTube.

Because you know, if I if this was an AI of me, I wouldn't look like that. First of all, I'd have a lot of hair, I'd have a smaller nose, I wouldn't have a big red face. You know, I wouldn't have a gray beard.

I keep my body because I'm in superb fitness. But you know, it's kind of, but I can see I can see not far away, people are going to be starting a new channel. And if you're going to put an avatar of themselves, they're going to miss out the bits that perhaps they wouldn't want on there.

So I wouldn't have glasses on my avatar, I'd have perfect vision. My avatar, you know, I'm not going to give my avatar disabilities, am I? My avatar wouldn't have bipolar, wouldn't have a personality disorder, possibly ADHD, I don't know, who knows what I've got, but it'd be taller as well. My head would be up there looking down at you.

And I would also be a lot younger, I would probably be about 25 27. I think my peak years was about 20, between between 27 and 30. That's when I maybe 25 and 30.

That's when I was at my my most my least ugly, perhaps to say most handsome, my least ugly. I'm only kidding, I'm not calling myself that. But I do have a mirror.

So there's something quite refreshing to see a video of a person just being themselves and talking about how they're actually feeling. Yeah, that's it. That's all I wanted to say.

I realize I'm talking for way too long on this and I need to get on with the Q&A Friday and I will. Don't you worry, I'm going to get on with the Q&A Friday right now. I'm going to do is go through the questions.

I know I don't normally spend quite as much time. Oh, there's another thing I've got to tell you. So I posted on my Jason Newlands boarding group, so please join if you like.

I posted I'm thinking of making this group public. Are you okay with that? So I wanted to get kind of get the idea of who says yes, who says no, all that stuff. So 96% so 24 people said yes.

And one person said no. So 4% I was going to go with the majority rule situation. If it was a tie, then I wouldn't if it was like, you know, but I respect everyone's opinion.

I can see both sides. The thing is, I found out by looking into it that turning this group that's private into public is not even an option. Can't do it.

Not allowed, not allowed. So the only thing I can do is start a new group, and I'm not going to do that. So I mean, unless you want to start a new group.

You know, I have it as a public group where you can share my stuff and talk about how wonderful I am. Yeah, sure. But yeah, so that's I need I will post something about that later.

Right now I'm going to try and focus on the questions. I don't know how many questions there are. Probably not many.

Let's have a look. All questions. I've got one.

No. So hope talked about the Okay. Right, so hope has got one.

There was one but it's that was sorted out. So I hope then Carol, and reveal and Ruth. So I'll start with hope.

Hello, hope. So, hope asks, what are your favorite gifts that you received? Right. So we start at the beginning, the beginning.

I, the first gift I ever remember was a box of Maltesers. No, the first gift I ever remember. So there's the first two gifts involved two different children's homes.

So let's say the first was a box of Maltesers in Newcastle Children's Home, left by my mother on my birthday. I didn't know it was my birthday. I didn't even know what a birthday was.

I did not know how old I was. And then the journey from Newcastle to Southend to the second children's home. Mr. Wright was with I remember his name.

He was my social worker. So he travelled up with me, or down with me, whichever, however you pronounce it. And he bought me a can of Coke.

And you might be thinking, you might be thinking many things, you know, we're thinking, we're telling us that for, you might be thinking, Oh, that explains why you drank so much coke in your life. And you love Maltesers. Possibly.

Both red packaging matches your face. That's rude. So I think with the drink, the coke, it wasn't so much that it was a gift.

And I don't, the Maltesers wasn't a good gift. Because but just I'm just thinking of the first gifts I ever got. Just thinking of the first gift, in a way, moving.

I suppose my first bike, when I was seven, when we moved, moved out of the kids home to with my dad. So my, my bike was probably my first thing. But if I if I could go back, I would probably tell you that everything was good.

Because suddenly I had toys. And I had a mum, who I absolutely adored, like a new mum and my dad who was amazing. Like it was all everything was amazing.

So I would say really, the gift would be without getting all heavy. The gift I received the biggest gift I received. One of my favourite gifts would be being rescued from the children's home.

So yeah, at the time, that's how I felt. I felt like I was being rescued. But I did like the bike.

Oh, yes. Never had a bike before. And my dad taught me to ride.

He did the old thing, you know, when the old technique, where you hold on to the back, the back of the bike said, Okay, I'm going to keep holding on. And he's pushed me into traffic. Yeah, it worked.

So always into a war, something like that. Maybe he maybe he didn't like me. Trying to think what else there was.

Gift, I suppose, a bike when I was about 13. A racer, really wanted a racer. And I got one for Christmas.

So that was it's weird now that I'd even be interested in a bike because I can't stand bikes. But back then, oh, so happy. Because I had paper rounds.

And it was taking me hours to do these paper rounds. I thought if I was on a bike, I wouldn't get as wet. But I didn't realise a bike doesn't stop you getting wet.

It just helps you to get wet quicker. And there was a little period when my dad was in a good mood. During probably when I was about 1413 14.

There's a little period and my dad was started buying stuff, like computer or video games. And, and I like that because although I wasn't interested in the computer, my brothers were, and my dad was any kind of set up a nice environment. In the house, so I like that.

I mean, there was a communal gift, which was the video recorder. Love the video recorder. Oh, yes.

Oh, yes. Oh, yes. And one of my favourite gifts was when I got my first black and white TV when I was about 14.

Wow. Changed my life that did. It was a second hand black and white TV, but it was, I'd never had my own TV in my own room before.

I could have just bought one. I don't know why I didn't buy one. Because I had part time jobs.

I could have just gone and bought a TV. Although they were they weren't cheap back then. Maybe I couldn't have afforded one, but possibly I could buy a secondhand one anyway.

Gifts. I'm just going through my childhood. The worst gift I ever got was a calculator.

I'm still angry about that. I got a calculator for Christmas. And it's one of those like Christmas tree presents, you know, on actually on the tree.

Give me a video game. Give me a helicopter. We wouldn't fit on the tree.

Why don't you get bigger tree or put it under the tree. I mean, in the case of a helicopter in the garden. So gifts.

I'm trying to think. There's going to be ones I miss. Okay, there are.

I've covered quite a quite a large part of my life. In my 20s. Again, in my 20s, it wouldn't be a gift as in a present, like a physical thing.

But I did get helped out a few times by a couple of people. So that was a gift. And it helped me get out of difficult situations.

But as far as like an actual gift, I would say my friend Noel gave me a gift. He gave me again, it wasn't like a physical thing. But if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be, I wouldn't have got involved in all the different things I've done online for the last nearly 20 years.

So, yeah, he gave me the gift of support and belief. He believed in me. I know we're going kind of a bit existential here.

But yeah. So I'm moving to my 30s. I mean, to be honest, once once I stopped being a kid, Christmas presents stopped really being much of a thing.

You know, because I wasn't a kid anymore. So I didn't get it. It's less and less as I got older, it's probably the same for everyone.

I don't know. I suppose it's different if you've got kids, and then you have grandkids, and you have great grandkids, and maybe you get presents. It might just be a bunch of crap, but you get stuff you don't even want.

Like Oh, brilliant. Thanks, Frankie. More socks.

Where's the chocolate at? But it's still you know, it's still gifts, isn't it? I suppose. If you're gonna buy me socks, you might as well just not buy me socks. That's my opinion.

But that's just personal. It's like that's like buying someone tampons. It's not exactly the same.

You can't they're not quite as absorbent as tampons. Oh, I can't really use a sock. But what I'm saying is it's not it's it's like a practical thing that you need.

You want to give someone a toothbrush for their Christmas present, or birthday, dental floss, shampoo, toilet paper, you know, that's the same category as socks. I don't use it for those things. But I'm just saying it's like a practical thing that I'm not going to get excited opening a packet of socks.

There's going to be no stimulation for me anywhere in my body from that particular activity. Let it go, let it go. So gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts.

So my 30s. I can't think of anything that I'm not saying there hasn't been anything but I can't think of anything. Particularly 40s.

Gifts can't really think of any gifts that I received in my 40s. There was anything Wait a minute. That's no no.

I said apart from like PayPal gift or unlike a gift for me is I like hearing if what I'm doing is actually useful, beneficial, worthwhile. During the period of 2020 slash 2021. I did get some gifts of stuff.

And some food, some toilet roll from, you know, some of my, some of my fans. And that was really good because it was obviously a difficult time for most people. And yeah, because of that, couldn't really get out.

So it's really nice to have that support and that help. So that was nice. That was a really, really cool gifts.

Any gifts that people that listen to my podcast sent me are all brilliant. I appreciate all of them. Whether it's been a book, whether it's a knitted thing coat for Vinnie or a painting of Vinnie.

And Andre, I mean, phenomenal. Definitely. They're, they're amongst my favorite.

I mean, I've got even my stepmom did me did a picture of Vinnie as well. It's amazing. I've got like two pictures that have been done by two artists.

You know who you are. Wow. So yeah, it's other than that.

I mean, really, I don't mean this in like a in a like, or not a great way, but most of the last 20 years really seems to feel more like it's largely one way traffic in real life. I mean, so I've helped a lot of other people out. I haven't had much back, but then I haven't asked for much back.

I haven't necessarily needed, well not needed, but we all deal with things differently. And I'm yeah, I'd kind of deal with things my own way on my own. So definitely, it's been kind of one way traffic.

It's sometimes felt like that with the online service as well. For many years, I was paying out so much money to keep the podcast going to keep the for the different things. I mean, I've had help to get money together to buy a camera in the past.

And the Boston Chicky helped with that. This is blimey years ago. So that was a great, great gift.

I've had someone send me a laptop when my laptop broke. So I've had, I've had a lot of support, but no, not but however, no. So it's but really, isn't it? However.

Anyway, and, and there's just been some times when I just just I guess it's just a motivation thing sometimes. But anyway, about the gifts, I've received lots of gifts that I really do appreciate. And you know, sometimes just nice.

I get PayPal gift nothing, okay, I can have a pizza tonight while I'm watching a boxing, just little things like that that do make a difference. And but as far as physical gifts. I mean, this, this flat, my drink.

This flat was not a gift. As such. But it kind of was at the same time.

Because getting this flat, it's like winning the lottery. Not financially. But having a bit of security, bearing in mind, I haven't had any.

Really, you know. I suppose I had some security between the ages of seven and 15. And then from then onwards, to the ages to the age of 40.

44 and a half. So it's nearly, yeah, so nearly 30 years of complete insecurity. Plus, between the ages of zero to seven as well.

So when I got this place in 19 and 2015, it was something I'd always wanted. It hasn't really worked out how I was hoping it would work out. But then I'm not sure how I was hoping it would work out, in a way, because being a lot of really weird things happened here.

And I've had quite a few losses, you know. But if I hadn't moved here, I wouldn't have had Andre, I wouldn't have Vinnie. And I wouldn't have met my friends that I've lost.

I mean, I might not have even started the Let Me Bore You To Sleep podcasts. I might have not even continued doing recordings, although I think I would have done. I had no intention of stopping.

But it may, I mean, it might have gone in a better direction. Yeah, it might have been way better. If I hadn't moved somewhere else, or not got this place.

I might, I might be married. Ah, you don't know. It's no way of knowing, is there? I mean, some people just look at me and think, yeah, we can probably guess you wouldn't be married, which is rude.

Very rude. So hope, that is kind of all the favourite gifts, I guess that I can think of. My friend let me be a DJ, asking me if I wanted to be a DJ in his club.

That was a gift. Yeah, just little, just things like that had a big impact on my life. I'm trying to think, there's probably, there's probably something really obvious that maybe some people listening might be thinking, what about that thing that maybe I've mentioned in the past, and it's not coming into my brain.

So it doesn't mean that I don't recognise or appreciate, it's just, it's not. I've had a couple of videos in the past of people wishing me a happy birthday, or with sort of saying how much I've helped them and stuff. That was a lovely gift.

They were lovely gifts. So Carol asks, what's the opposite to gently close your eyes? I'm only laughing because I'm thinking, is it, do you want to know why I say that? Or do you literally want to say the opposite? I'll show you. That's it.

That's the opposite to gently close my eyes. You have to look at the video to see this. So basically, for those not seeing the video, it's me with my eyes wide open.

And strain in my eyes, possibly. I don't actually say gently close your eyes, do I? I should just realise, I say can only listen when you can safely close your eyes, gently close your eyes. Do you know what, it's a good point, because how can you close your eyes, unless it's gentle, really, it's like, you can't really, it's not like you can slam your eyelids shut like a window or a door, is it?

I just tried it, but it didn't really work.

I think what it is, okay, I know you're asking for the opposite, but it's just the idea of just adding the word gently into any sentence. adds a sense of comfort and calmness into the person. So gently close your eyes.

You could also say gently focus on your eyes, or your eyes will feel more gentle. Or you know, so it's a little less abrupt to close your eyes. Yeah.

Because you can't say, you can, but people probably wouldn't say, gently close your eyes, gently close your eyes now. Gently close your eyes. And it's kind of just the opposite would be harshly keep your eyes open, I guess.

But that's going to cause eye closure. I mean, there's a technique where you basically get someone or ask someone open your eyes. Okay, now I'm going to ask you to close your eyes.

And I'm going to count down from 10 down to one, blah, blah, blah, all down to one, and then open your eyes. And tell them that you're going to ask them to open their eyes again, once you get down to one. And then open your eyes again, down to one, open your eyes again, close your eyes down to one and open your eyes again.

Now, eventually, that person is gonna stop wanting to open their eyes. And eventually, even further down the line, maybe sooner than they think, they may not even be able to physically open their eyes. Because their eyes will just, the eyes will ignore them.

Or yes, they don't want to open because you feel so relaxed and calm. And asks, what are tea cakes? I think they've got different names, different places. Do you know hot cross buns? If you know what hot cross buns are, then tea cakes are pretty much just the same as hot cross buns, really.

But they've got less and assortment of fruit. So tea cake probably wouldn't necessarily have much other than perhaps currants, maybe apricots, maybe something but not a lot. A hot cross bun has got a lot more fruit has also got across on the front.

And it's pretty bit stickier at the top. It's very similar, it might be made a little bit different as well. Because you can get different types of tea cakes.

And different kinds of it's almost like it's a pastry, different type. Is it shoe pastry? I don't know. I don't know what they're called in other countries.

In fact, they might be called something else in a different part of this country. So if they are maybe, let everyone know. Wasn't a very good answer, was it? I don't know.

It's just I like to, I like them when they're already split in half. So I can just toast them, put some margarine on the top, cup of tea. Yeah, it's lovely.

The thing is I overdid it. A few years ago, I was eating them every single day for months and months. And it got to the point where I couldn't stand them.

And I'm okay now, but it was just like, I just had enough. And with the hot cross buns, kind of weird because it's an Easter thing. The tradition is to have them on Good Friday.

So hot cross bun day, but it's actually Good Friday. But some supermarkets make them for months afterwards, months before and months afterwards. I guess they're just made in batches and put in freezers and so they've got loads to sell.

I'll tell you what I do if I remember, I put a picture of a hot cross bun on the podcast image. Reveal asks, my friend from Bristol is here and we are cracking up over the different food names in UK. For example, Spotted Dick, not selling me.

Yorkshire Pudding, it's not pudding. Digestives, they're amazing, but could use some help with the marketing. This topic has had a house full of people cracking up in my UK with my UK pal.

So reveal, where are you from? Where are you living? I will say with the digestives, they don't need advertising. Or marketing, maybe they do in other countries, but in this country, they're as well known as teabags, I would argue. I mean, I know that companies still advertise because there's different types of teabags.

But digestives, the McVitie digestives, the McVitie's digestives are the best ones you can get. You can get home brand if I can get my words out. So you can get kind of Tesco, Sainsbury's home brand and stuff, but digestives.

I'm sorry, I mean, McVitie's digestives. Amazing with a cup of tea. I think I agree with you.

They are amazing with a cup of tea, or a cup of coffee, actually. And if you've lived here for a long time, like, you know, I was born here. So you get to learn the exact amount of time you can put the biscuit in the tea.

And you also know that depending on how hot the tea is, so the hotter the tea is, the quicker it will, I know the biscuit doesn't melt. But it gets soggier quicker when the tea is hot. Now the problem is, is kind of an English tradition to kind of meet up with someone's, you know, like go around someone's for a cup of tea for a cuppa.

Like an old tradition, which means if for me personally, if I've got distraction, so let's say I've got someone else here, or I'm visiting someone else and they've got biscuits, digestives, and I'm dipping. Firstly, I kind of can't really gauge the heat of the tea, because I didn't make the tea. If I made it, I can know roughly where I am with it.

And what kind of dippage time is required in order for me not to lose the biscuit or half the biscuit. And if there's someone else there is a distraction. So that even if I do have the correct time, or know the correct time, there was they might say something that I'm like, what? You found what in your basement? And I'll just end the thing or just disintegrate.

You know, it's weird, though. I remember when digestives there, you put one in for too long, and it'd break off. And it would sink to the bottom of the tea.

Now they seem to float. They're floaters. And they give the illusion you can get it out with your fingers, but you can't.

So as you touch it breaks into, I was going to say a million bits, but I've never counted them. Quite a few bits. That might be a temperature thing as well.

If you're a scientist, and you listen to this, maybe let me know. Is there something in it with a digestive biscuit? If it floats, or if it sinks, is that due to the temperature of the tea of the beverage? There's a few different names like spotted dick. It's lovely.

By the way, I'm not I'm not I'm not a custard eater, or custard slurper. I'm actually against custard. I mean, to the point where I think it should be illegal.

Don't like custard. Really don't. But I think that was more because I was forced to eat it when I was a kid when I was little.

And didn't like it. Just, you know, I probably wouldn't have had a big issue with it. You know, if it had been like, you don't like it, well, don't eat it then.

And I might have got older and like, I'll give it a try. You know, I didn't like that when I was four, but maybe I would now because I'm 74. And I'm probably a little bit maybe open up to new experiences.

So I'm sure there's some 75 year olds out there thinking, what haven't I tried yet in my life? Oh, custard. Maybe not. The thing that used to really confuse me back in the I think it was either the late 80s or the 90s.

Snicker bars. Now they used to be called marathons in the UK. Marathons.

There was adverts, people running around, they were promoted, advertised and promoted by athletes, Olympic athletes, promoting chocolate bars. And then they rebranded them Snickers, which I think it was so that it could be the same everywhere. I didn't like that.

I refused to call them Snickers for nearly 30 years. Sometimes I still call them marathons. I just don't don't like change.

It seemed unnecessary. Unnecessary. What other things would be weird? I know that the chocolate bars in America are different to the ones here and just from what I've seen on movies and what people have told me.

Some are similar, some the same. And when I went to France, sometimes when I've gone to other countries, I've specifically just stuck with Mars bar and a can of Coke because I knew where I was with that. And then maybe, you know, looked at other things, but I'm not sure.

I'll just have a look. Yes, Spotted Dicks, nice. Unfortunate name.

The thing is, in this country, we don't really use that word. We do more now because people in the UK are very Americanized now. So there's a lot of words that are used in America that are used here.

But generally, Dick isn't like it never was, never used to really be a rude word. In the same way as Z being the last letter of the alphabet. More and more people I've noticed, not even not really young people, but people even like in their 30s are saying Z. And they're talking about Generation Z when it's actually Generation Z. Because Z in this country, Z is not Z.

And maybe JZ has got something to do with that, possibly.

So it's very... The first time I noticed it actually is in the Spice Girls first song, Tell Me What You Want, When You Really Really Want. And they go to that from A to Z. And at the time, I didn't really take much notice. But I guess they were aiming for a much wider audience.

And I'm not sure how many people were actually watching those videos with the volume up anyway. So I'm trying to think what other food has got weird. Mine might, not my thing, peanut butter.

Why would you eat something that looks worse going in than it does coming out? That just doesn't make sense to me. If you saw like, if you saw peanut butter on the floor, right? Like a big pile of peanut butter on the floor, you would walk around it, or you would cross the road when you you wouldn't think, I wish I had some bread with me so I could put it on and make a sandwich.

You know what I mean? So although I kind of recollect peanut butter tasting quite nice.

But it's the look. It's got the look or it hasn't got the look. Yeah, I can't get out.

Yeah. It's like, no. semolina.

No, can't do semolina. I was told it was tadpoles. Just looks like tadpoles, isn't it? I don't know.

It's just I'm just talking about food I don't like. That's not what the question is. I do apologize.

I think Frosties is now being changed. I don't call them Frosties anymore. Do they? No sugar puffs.

Don't call sugar puffs sugar puffs. Now I don't know what they called them in other countries. But in this country, they're now called honey puffs, I think.

Because sugar is not apparently now. Now is it's not a good idea to give children sugar for a meal before going to school. When I was a kid, it was fine.

But not now. Like God. This is even this is completely true.

When I was about four, maybe five, four or five. I was living with my mum. We were in Newcastle, we're all playing outside.

And she shouts down and she's got some food. And it was sugar sandwiches. So basically, two bits of bread with mom marmalade or not marmalade with butter or mar.

Why can't I say the word? Not marmalade. Margarine. Wow.

And sugar. And that was our dinner. That was our our lunch.

And you know what? Not one of us complained. In fact, we're very happy. It's not I mean, that's, that's, it's amazing.

I've got any teeth. Really. The thing is, nowadays, that probably be really expensive.

Sugar is not cheap anymore. Sugar sandwich. The weird thing about even when I was like a kid older on the age of seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, or as an adult, where I could do anything I wanted, eat anything I wanted.

Never once have I ever wanted a sugar sandwich. Not once. I thought that that's a good idea.

It's weird. It's like, and you know, when I was younger, and I was babysitting. And the kid wanted something to eat.

I didn't think I'll give him a sugar sandwich. No. Weird.

I loved it at the time though. So hey. And yeah, there's I don't because I'm not in another country.

I don't really know what the difference is in names. Or what would sound weird. To be honest.

I mean, definitely spotted dick. I mean, yeah. That is, but it's so nice.

It's just like a steamed pudding. And you can is it spotted dick? It's got currants and stuff in, isn't it? But you can get, I like the steamed pudding, any steamed pudding. As long as it's not with custard, ice cream, or cream, or even milk.

If there's no ice cream or cream, I'll go for milk. Sticky toffee pudding. Oh, yeah.

Just out of interest to reveal is anyone in Bristol? Listen to my recordings. Anyone in Bristol? Hi. Lastly, we got Ruth.

Hi, Ruth. What is your favorite sandwich filling? Cheese and pickle for me. You know what? Cheese and pickle is my most nostalgic filling.

Because when I went around my nan and granddad's when my granddad was around, in my middle to late teens. That's what they would cook, get me a sandwich if they, you know, unless they were eating, like having a dinner or whatever. But they'd always like make me a sandwich.

And if my nan wasn't in my granddad would make me a sandwich. And I remember the one time, but what was one time when my nan was in bed, I think she was unwell. So my granddad invited me in.

He sat me down in the kitchen. He made me a cheese and pickle sandwich and a cup of tea. And I think some crisps.

And he waited, he waited in silence for me to eat it all up. For me really to go to leave. That was it was no, no conversation, anything.

He wasn't a chatterbox. I definitely don't take after my granddad. Although, in some ways, I wish I did because he was, he had some amazing qualities.

But being chatty wasn't it, or at least not with me anyway. Cheese and pickle, I probably wouldn't go for pickle now because I can't really do pickles these days. And I'd say what used to be one of my favorite was it was a roll.

This is when I worked at Churchill. I would go to nasties, which was a wasn't the official name of the cafe. We wasn't a cafe.

You go in and it's a sandwich shop. But it's called nasties because someone saw one of the staff sneeze once and since then they just called the place nasties. Nobody stopped going though.

Everyone continued going. So I used to get a roll, a cheese roll or cheese and tomato roll and a hot sausage roll. Stick it in the middle.

Squash it together, squash it together. And I'll eat it. Mm hmm.

Nice. It was. Yeah, it was a little bit too much though.

Even then, I wouldn't do that now. But it was all the thing is, well, just remembered I was doing that long before that. Because I used to do that in the 90s.

About 97, 98, 98, 99. I'd go to the corner. Again, another like a bakery place on the corner.

That also I actually saw Bianca from EastEnders in there once. This is in Stratford. This is the late 90s.

And yeah, I used to get a cake. I want a cake now. But I used to get a cake.

I used to get sausage roll, cheese and tomato roll and a cake. And I would have a cup of tea or maybe I'd have a can of whatever. And I'd have that.

And that's what I'd have in the like, late afternoon on a Saturday. Yeah, I'd probably go for that probably quite a quite basic cheese and tomato. But with something else.

Probably cheese and salad. I think cheese on its own is a little bit too a little bit too dry, a little bit not moist enough. I need I need something moist in my mouth.

And I do like a little bit of salad. Not a lot of salad, not like it's all falling everywhere, but just maybe a piece of a little bit of tomato, lettuce, maybe a bit of cucumber. I do like raw onion.

But if it's chopped very, very finely, a little bit, just a little bit of everything. Not really into gherkins, not into anything like pickles or anything like that. Yeah, that do.

But I don't want it to be messy. I don't want it all falling everywhere. That would probably be my kind of favourite.

And sandwich. Yeah, so cheese and salad. I'm basically a vegetarian.

This might sound weird, but generally, I'm basically a vegetarian most of the time. I'm just trying to think of any other. I went through a period in late 2000s, when I was eating a lot of corn.

Like you know, the corn slices of meat or non meat and having them in tomato in the sandwich. And these rolls are really nice rolls. That's what made it, the rolls made it.

Lovely. So I had a job in this care facility while I was at university. And I take one of those rolls or a couple of those rolls and a yoghurt and I put it in the fridge and someone ate them.

And I thought, why? Why would they do that? And especially as they probably didn't know what they were eating. They'd known it was corn, they probably wouldn't have touched it. I can't think of any other sandwiches that I've really... I'll tell you, I know it's not really related, but the best pasties ever had was Dover.

Cornwall were nice, and they're supposed to be the king of pasties, aren't they Cornwall? And they were lovely. But I still think, no, they were lovely, actually. They've got like just pasty shops.

But I remember Dover, they were equally as lovely, if not more. Oh, I want to eat a pasty now. Is that weird? Right, so that, I think I've answered the questions.

I realise I went on a little bit at the beginning, blah, blah, blah. But that is the questions answered for this week. Now we'll see whether or not this is, how hard this is to upload as a video, but it'll definitely be a podcast.

And I want to say goodbye for now. So thank you for listening. Remember to be kind to yourself, because you do deserve to be happy.

Be gentle with yourself. You deserve to feel safe. Lots of love.

Bye.