S1 E8: Passion Projects

The ShortMerc (00:27)
We can also loop in some failure and unfailure.

John Kubic (00:30)
Okay, passion projects. You know what my big project is right now? I need to attack the backyard and make it dog friendly, eliminate dirt. I don’t want to deal with real grass. I want rock, fake grass, plants and pots.

The ShortMerc (00:44)
You should do. You’re in Florida, so moss or clovers?

John Kubic (00:48)
I’m going fake every day. I don’t want to even water this shit.

The ShortMerc (00:50)
You don’t have to water that. You’re in Florida. Your air is water.

John Kubic (00:53)
No, the problem is the three big rats. Every fucking plant out there, if it’s not a tree, has been destroyed. Even the trees are like half the fight, but they’re big enough that they can hold the road against these little fuckers. Okay, okay, leave her alone.

The ShortMerc (00:57)
That’s fair.

You

That’s…

Yeah, that’s, that’s, that’s, speak, speaking of

which. Speaking of which, there they go. Misbehaving. So your passion project is… you’re a…

John Kubic (01:18)
Well, that’s like where the big project is right now as far as things I need to, that I want to get done so badly, I don’t, not gonna bring anybody in, so I’m gonna do it myself. So it’s gonna be, it’s already a process. Like I literally bought a wheelbarrow. I got a nice wheelbarrow now. I got a nice rake.

The ShortMerc (01:35)
Going into landscaping after chefing and dog treats it’ll be landscaping

John Kubic (01:39)
Yeah,

well, I used to do that. I used to do that when I was chef and in Oregon, I used to do both. would landscape during the day. So I’d be out there like chopping down trees with a chainsaw or cutting lawns or whatever it was all usually a lot of it was commercial properties that we’d work. And then I would jump on my fucking mountain bike roll downtown run up to this the downtown athletic club where I was running help running the restaurant at night. And I jump in and be like, I was the sous chef to an executive chef who didn’t want to work nights basically.

So I would run the restaurant at night for him. So I was doing both. And actually, it was a happy time.

The ShortMerc (02:14)
What? What?

Happiness and all that?

John Kubic (02:17)
Yeah, was happiness. was like, I would do, what did do? I was doing, I think three doubles and then I would have four days off. I would landscape, go to work at night. So I’d work all day, all morning and all night. And then at least that four days off a week, which is, we all know that, yeah, you should have, we should at least be to the point where everybody has, like a four day work week is where we should be. don’t know what the fucking holdup is on that.

The ShortMerc (02:30)
That’s fantastic.

Yeah, I think…

I forget which state was gonna give that a try, but there’s a state that’s trying that out. I don’t know. I don’t work like normal people. I work 16 to 20 hour days, seven days a week. I don’t… Even nights, and holidays are on smash. But, you know, after doing my taxes, I was kind of okay with it. I brought in a lot more revenue last year, so…

John Kubic (02:44)
Massachusetts.

Thank

That’s it.

The ShortMerc (03:03)
pretty pretty happy about that talking about passion projects work is my passion project ⁓ yeah enough but I would like a day off at some point that’d be cool take take a sleep

John Kubic (03:05)
Okay. Yes. Yeah.

Yeah, but just so you don’t

feel like you need to take a day. Like you don’t think that you should have a day. So it’s kind of a day. I mean, it’s tricky because you are doing what you want to do. So I kind of feel that way with cooking. I don’t really like people go, do you cook at home and you’re not working? I’m like, yeah, all the time. And then like, don’t you get sick? I’m like, well, if I’m sick, I wouldn’t cook that day.

The ShortMerc (03:37)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense.

John Kubic (03:39)
But I

love cooking, so it’s like, I’m not, you you know?

The ShortMerc (03:43)
Yeah, the brain doesn’t stop, So even if I’m taking that day off, it’s still how am going to do this? What’s the logistics? Like, I can’t truly be off until I’m done with a project, even if I’m resting. Like, I can take breaks throughout the day, take physical rest and give the body some some chill. But for the most part, it’s just go until you’re done with the project, which I think is why I’m just and I’m a Capricorn. So, you know, for the light and fluffy, it’s it’s in our blood to just work and work and work and work and work and

John Kubic (03:52)
Hmm.

The ShortMerc (04:08)
Never stop, keep going. Well, stop when we’re dead is kind of how our brains are. But yeah, so I think days off are fucking important. Like sometimes I look at Ashley when she’s working and I’m like, you’re a therapist, though. You should take a couple days off. Yeah.

John Kubic (04:10)
Fuck.

I agree with that. Like I think if

you deal with people’s minds all the time, there’s no way you got to have a day where you just sit down and play video games or watch a sitcom or I don’t know, but it’s got to be simple.

The ShortMerc (04:39)
Yeah,

yeah, like it’s it’s just one of those things where it’s you kind of have to look at it as with what you do because for what I do if I’m not doing the business side of things, chasing down leads, making sure everything looks good or the tech side of things, I’m also an artist. I never stop.

John Kubic (04:57)
Well, that’s what I saying, because it’s passionate, like you’re passionate about this, obviously about this project, about, obviously, know, now you’re making t-shirts this morning, you know, you’re still writing up to book 12 and, you know, like, like, I mean, which started out as like books, you were just going to do the one book and now it’s more.

The ShortMerc (05:09)
Yeah

Yeah, then

it was three books and then it was book four ish and now I can’t stop. Book eight comes out later this year.

John Kubic (05:22)
Yeah, so I think when you’re when you’re being creative and that you find like you found that fire late I think maybe not late you found it when you found it. guess it really isn’t I mean, but it’s

The ShortMerc (05:30)
Yeah, it just didn’t sur-

I wasn’t able to cultivate it until later.

John Kubic (05:34)
Yeah, I think that’s what I kind of know. So the fact that you were dealing with so many other bullshit things that kind of clouded your vision. And now it’s like, now that you have clarity, it seems like you’re on that same. I always said that about cooking. Like people are like, how do you know? I’m like, I didn’t know when I was 16 and I started in restaurants, but I think I fell in love with the fantasy of cooking, of working in an industry that could say, fuck you.

The ShortMerc (05:36)
Yeah.

John Kubic (06:00)
And as long as you did a good job, you could excel.

The ShortMerc (06:03)
Yeah. Cool.

John Kubic (06:03)
I

mean, did it with my fingers up for the longest time, you and then it’s like, when I found the private sector, realized like, you know, I fought the game so long. And then you find, found that fighting within the game for me is better because I live a better life financially. So that alone, that alone deviates a lot of bullshit. So yeah, yeah.

The ShortMerc (06:18)
Yeah.

Yeah, no, and

it’s like, again, if I was willing to give this much energy to a bunch of strangers who didn’t give two shits about me, I’m gonna give it to myself. And then help out other people who will help out other people who will help out other people and keep it. I think that’s more so.

The biggest overarching passion project is creating something synergistic, which is why I work so damn much, because I want it all to just flow together and it sounds like it’s the same thing with you and cooking. Just like, fuck this, fuck your mold, fuck the box. I like to make food that’s pretty and healthy and good for you.

John Kubic (06:57)
But I wasn’t even

always that way. Like I think when you’re young, you’re still trying to figure out who you are. And so when I was young, it was like, it was more about the fact that when I looked through that glass, was like, it was where I first, you know, because this dates myself, but it’s where I saw the people that were tatted or the people that were pierced and the people that were like dyeing their hairs. And it was multicultural. So it wasn’t white America. You know what mean? For me, I think those were all attractive things. They were like, Ooh, this is like limbo.

The ShortMerc (07:02)
That’s…

Yeah.

John Kubic (07:26)
It’s like people don’t want to do this job because it’s sweaty nasty greasy dirty, but at the same time it’s like the people that are doing it are genuine

The ShortMerc (07:36)
Yeah,

no, that’s that’s the good thing about it. I think that’s what I hated so much about a corporate office is it just kind of felt like cookie cutter copies of the same bullshit across industries. then it’s just like, you know, I kind of want to sleep at night when I do fall asleep, if I fall asleep, like or I, you know, I want to sleep.

John Kubic (07:42)
Fuck yeah.

The ShortMerc (07:56)
period. Like, and I don’t want to just waste life. Like, this is not enough life to kind of go around and even in finding, finding yourself or whatever.

those youthful years, not like I’m old or anything, when you’re younger and you’re finding those things, learning how angry corporate America makes you and then how angry you genetically are and then where all of your goods happen to be located. Then you turn around, you look at all the other industries and go, I’m going to make a new industry out of all of the bones of these old industries.

John Kubic (08:27)
BINGO

The ShortMerc (08:27)
And then

I’m gonna wrap it up and I’m just gonna bring in all the cool, genuine, legitimate people who can show others that you don’t have to fu- I mean, if that’s your jam, if you enjoy the corporate… shit, go for it.

John Kubic (08:37)
Well, no, right. Look at Nikki. Like that’s I

look at it all the time and I agree with you on everything you’re saying. It’s like, but she, she excels in it so well, even though she at times hates it. There are times it does bring her a level of satisfaction. You know, I wouldn’t say happiness by any means, but there are some levels where like, I guess it was like a simple story on that, you know, on the corporate America thing is that she was, you know, being a black woman, you know, that that’s a whole different battle, but

The ShortMerc (08:42)
Yeah.

Yeah

John Kubic (09:06)
black woman in corporate America and she was walking to the office. I was like something the other day or something and one of the girls goes, it was a black girl also, but she goes, that walk Nikki. And she’s like, how are you doing? She’s like, she’s like, you know what? Things are going my way. And the girl goes, that’s what I’m talking about. You know, like she was all psyched being ⁓ another black woman, you know, in the industry and just hear Nikki going, yeah, it’s going my way.

The ShortMerc (09:24)
Yep.

John Kubic (09:31)
Cause she’s kind of, that’s kind of what she, you know, I mean, obviously, you know, she’s, there’s that handshake, you know, it’s like corporate American knows that she’s a black woman and it makes them look better. So of course, you know, the company, always optics, right? It’s like, cause like people like, oh, you know, that’s so nice that they’re willing to do that for him. Like, yeah, what do they want? You know mean? Cause everybody’s getting something. Like don’t, don’t be mistaken. So the optics of that are, you know, very good for them. And at the same time,

The ShortMerc (09:38)
Yeah.

Optics. Always optics.

Yeah. Right. Right.

John Kubic (09:57)
She’s under, I think she’s playing the game within the game too. Like she realizes that, you I could be cookie cutter sounding, you know, and all that bullshit and play nice and excel. Okay. ⁓

The ShortMerc (10:08)
Yeah, and that’s

her whole thing. For me, I couldn’t fucking do it. was… I… Man, the amount of plaster, I think I kept most of the… most of the Home Depot’s and shit in stock back there. Not that I’m doing any of that now, fuck them. But the mom and pop shops that have really loved me back then.

John Kubic (10:12)
I couldn’t either, no way.

business. Yeah, right, right.

The ShortMerc (10:26)
But then I found my niche out here helping other people do their thing. I love helping other people do their thing because so many people don’t want to be in that corporate trap because for them it is a trap. They’re just like, no, but I have to make money and I have to feel comfortable. But it’s like, yeah, but you’re miserable. You’re mistaking comfort for misery.

John Kubic (10:43)
Isn’t, aren’t

those the people that are like, they’re afraid to take a chance though? You know what I mean? Like, are they’re afraid of failure maybe?

The ShortMerc (10:48)
I don’t

know if it’s so much an innate fear though. think it’s a conditioned fear of just like, I can’t possibly do that. And I’m like, well, you can’t. It’s not easy, but it is simple. And if you’re truly passionate about what it is that you’re about to start doing, well, you’re willing to put up with it. Like you can’t just…

John Kubic (10:54)
It’s a social feeling, conditioned fear. Okay.

Right.

The ShortMerc (11:10)
just sit there and I love putting it out there and showing people how simple that kind of stuff can be on top of the artwork and you know the books and whatnot. I thought I could do cooking but ⁓ while I can cook I would prefer not to. It’s not my favorite thing.

John Kubic (11:24)
Well, yeah, but that’s exactly, but that’s, that’s, that’s like, go down, you know,

you got to try different. It’s, it’s a, it’s a median. You know what I mean? Like for me, it’s, it’s one of the medians that works for me. I love the creativity side. I enjoy all aspects of it. I actually like shopping, which I, you know, as long as I could do it on my, as long as I can do it on my spectrum of things or, know, my reality of things. So I like to go early morning. I don’t want a lot of people in there.

The ShortMerc (11:32)
Yeah.

Yeah, it’s kind of funny. I hate it.

Yeah.

John Kubic (11:51)
I don’t

want to deal with, you know, people that are fucking miserable. I have a phone stand. I’m gonna try that out. Oh, that’s perfect. What the fuck am I doing? I wonder if I can sit on the floor and still be seen. Oh, thank God. That’s one of my favorite spots to sit. Perfect. Yeah, I’m one of those people. I love sitting on the floor and leaning up against the couch. I don’t know what the fuck that is, but it fucking works.

The ShortMerc (11:59)
What?

on the floor. Good.

Doesn’t matter.

John Kubic (12:14)
Nope, doesn’t just, it just is what it is. But no, yeah, I think, you know, that, that whole side of thing would like going in and like getting everybody when there’s like, people are still in their highest point. You know, they’re in the mornings. find generally they’re not having been written, written down by whether a boss or demands or other individuals who were, you know, part of the, you know, working with people kind of bullshit.

The ShortMerc (12:26)
Mm-hmm.

John Kubic (12:39)
I find that most people are in pretty good spirits. So I can go in there with a good energy and just kind of get things accomplished. can get to know their in and outs. And it allows me to kind of know, you know, the people that are actually running the certain areas. And this way I know exactly what’s going on. I know what’s coming in fresh or what they just got. They’re more willing to point out like, look at these button mushrooms we just got in. And I’m like, fucking awesome. Take some of those like, look at this fish that we just got off the perfect. I’ll take that.

So then it’s like the menu can fall into play. It’s like you, if you’re painting and all of a sudden someone’s like, look at this blue. you’re like, fucking A, I gotta have that blue. You were like, woo.

The ShortMerc (13:12)
dude that happened to me last week I spent like 40 bucks it’s

like so there’s this this is color that I love and I was like what is this actual fucking color like what is this and then I found out so I went down the the color theory wheel and I forget what it’s called but this is whole list out of different pigment types by the name and you know how I am about directories I love directories but that I found out

John Kubic (13:35)
I didn’t know you

love directories, but I think it’s cool that you love directories. No, I just fucking learned that right the fuck now. I’ve known you a long time. I did not know that.

The ShortMerc (13:37)
I love directories.

Yeah, nope, I love directories.

I love the directories index talking about passion projects. Like I remember in high school, my first editorial gig was to be an index editor for the yearbook because nobody else would take that editorial position. And I was like, I mean, it’s just the alphabet, figuring out where things are. I love that. So I’ve been a directory nut for a while and ⁓

John Kubic (14:06)
That’s really,

it’s interesting. don’t even know where to put it, but it’s interesting that that’s something that you like, that kind of gets you going, yeah, like giggle or something. You know what mean? Like, all right, that’s cool.

The ShortMerc (14:14)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So,

but I found it and it’s the different the way that paints are mixed and the pigment types and everything. And because, you know, every brand has their own name for the color. So if you switch brands, it’s fucking impossible to find the exact one. And this particular brand had the nerve to call itself Cobalt. It was not because Cobalt would use a

John Kubic (14:30)
Gotcha.

The ShortMerc (14:35)
PB28, which is actual Cobalt. This one uses a 15153, which is one of the Phthalo colors. It’s a Phthalo Blue on the green leaning side. But then it also mixes it with Phthalo Green, which is PG-7.

John Kubic (14:43)
Awesome. Yeah.

Just so you know, like if there was imagery for anyone who knows, I’m listening to you talk about that. There was like a lot of birds circling the head and like there was a, there was like a rocket ship that went this way. And then there was a floating horse. And the whole time I’m like, yeah, PB two, three, seven dash Niner. Gotcha. Gotcha. I’d use that same one for cobalt. It was awesome. It was awesome. Keep going. No, no, I’m being educated. I like education.

The ShortMerc (14:55)
Hahaha!

Yeah, like a pegasus. Yep. Yeah, exactly. Exactly that.

Let’s think if you would use a PG-28 for it, but no it’s

it’s so it’s like I love the color it’s PB 15 3 and then it’s PG 7 so I They make like this wonderful blue green depending on how much of you you add of one or the other

John Kubic (15:23)
And what color is that, those two?

⁓ okay.

The ShortMerc (15:32)
and it’s it’s fucking brilliant. It’s got one somewhere, but I’ll show it to you. It’s a little bit darker. It’s a darker thing than this because there’s blue in it, but it’s along the same brightness.

John Kubic (15:35)
Hmm. I love it. Yo, it gets burly.

Okay. Gotcha. So it’s almost like

for me and only because I’m not into all you have no your knowledge is vast. It’s like see, see green to me like, you know, I’m kind of gonna, I’m just gonna put it in that realm, but it’s kind of got that sea green to

The ShortMerc (15:50)
It’s okay, it’s okay. Yeah,

it’s like a deep ocean green. Like what you would get in those, a lot of animes depict it like this, and like lot of comic books get that green in there, the deep, deep, deep ocean. It’s just really fucking nice. Yeah.

John Kubic (16:00)
Right.

Gotcha.

Yes, So that’s the scary ocean, the deep green.

The ShortMerc (16:14)
That’s the one where all the crazy Krakens live and the giant Megalodons. Yeah, that’s that’s yeah. Yeah, that’s where they are. The giant jellyfish is the size of a skyscraper. Exactly. So I love that color. It’s one of my favorite colors. But then to have to put it together, then I can control how much green is in it, how much blue is in it and make my own mixes of it, because I have had clients that want one color on the entire canvas, but also want it to.

John Kubic (16:18)
Yes, yes, the Megalodon’s. Fuck. ⁓

Yes.

What was the

one you did? was like the beige fucking thank you. Side note to a stupid story on that, I once, no, this is going to label it. When I was dumb and young, full of cum, as they say, I was fucking, I went on a date, we kind of got a little frisky, beige underwear. I didn’t call her back. I was like, beige? What the fuck? I thought I took it as a sign.

The ShortMerc (16:44)
The beige. ⁓

Yeah, yeah.

John Kubic (17:07)
And we just, that was it.

The ShortMerc (17:09)
some people really like beige, which is fine. That’s great. And this one, she was like, I just I like this color. And I’m like, OK. But I ended up having to take it and then modify the beige. I use the same two colors, like the same two pigments. But then I had to modify to get the certain swooshes and angles. like she got it back and it ended up looking like a cup of coffee after you stir everything in and it’s doing that cool swirl thing.

John Kubic (17:11)
Yeah.

Kinda cool.

Mm. Yes, yes,

yes. I feel like I saw the piece and I remember liking it actually too because I thought it was like you said, cup of coffee with cream. What can you not like about that? That blending, mixing.

The ShortMerc (17:34)
Alright.

Yeah.

great yeah it’s a lovely

it’s a wonderful aesthetic and then the resin on top of it just like chef’s kissin but ⁓ yeah that that was one of those i was looking at it going how in the fuck am i talking about passion projects how am i gonna do this she likes one color made out of two of the most boring colors in my set so

John Kubic (17:59)
Right, right.

Did she have

like a set room that she was gonna put in? Because I feel like sometimes you see those pictures, like, I mean, I feel like I see them editorial or I’ll see them online now through, you Instagram or whatever the fuck you’re scrolling through. And it’s like, you’ll see those rooms where they do it, like you said, like it could just be like a beige room, but it’s like different tones of that, you know, but the whole room, it’ll look kind of cool. You’d like, like I would never want that room, but I’ll look at it and be like, I get it.

The ShortMerc (18:11)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, so

she was putting it, I think she, as she put it, she likes her house to be calm. So she was putting it in her room high up enough that she could just like have it and look at it and just be like, my God, because she’s also got a kid. So she’s like, this is mine and it’s beige. So it’s in her private sanctuary far away from. But that was one of those things where I was like, I love doing this.

John Kubic (18:44)
I

The ShortMerc (18:52)
How in the fuck am gonna do this? Which is kinda how I go after all of the passion projects. Like the shirts, I’m like, I mean, there’s only one way for me to figure out how to do what I wanna do and it’s to fucking do it. Yeah, pretty much, pretty much. So, nah.

John Kubic (19:02)
Dive in, tanna ball. Which has been impressive.

You have really embraced your creative passion projects.

The ShortMerc (19:13)
My creative chaos.

John Kubic (19:15)
Yeah, but you have embraced it. Like you have dove into so many different, you’ve gone down there, you’re going down every avenue, you know, it’s like exploring every street, which is, you know, the way like, I hate when people are like, you you could, you should have just taken a left there. And I’m like, yeah, but I can get there this way too. And they’re like, yeah, but the other way is quicker. And I’m like, this is what’s 30, what’s a minute? It’s like, does it really matter to you? Like, I get it. Don’t get me wrong. If you’re all in a rush, I get it. But I’m one of those people I’d rather, I love going different routes just for the fuck of it. And.

The ShortMerc (19:33)
Yeah.

Yeah.

John Kubic (19:43)
We all know like, knowledge is power. Like you go down, maybe you find something you love or you go, yeah, this is the street you should drive at night. You probably shouldn’t go down the street at two in the morning.

The ShortMerc (19:50)
Yeah, yeah I’m done.

Yeah, that’s so like here. There’s a lot of backroads and I love to drive the backroads. I don’t like the highways for self One you don’t get to see anything and two that there’s a rage monster that lives in my core when it comes to driving on highways because everyone’s fucking stupid Can’t merge you can’t pick a fucking speed. You don’t know where you’re going. You don’t use your fucking signal like drives me crazy

John Kubic (19:58)
Right. I hate the same.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I got that same monster. They all tell me

Chris and Nikki both are like, yeah, but when you’re driving on the, well, you, I’m like, I don’t know. Like, they both jump at me about that. I’m like, and I don’t even think I do. I’m like, I don’t get upset. Go like, yes, you do. You curse at everybody. I’m like, no, don’t.

The ShortMerc (20:27)
but you lose it like no but

you lose it like we lose it up here like that’s just how New Englanders fucking lose it it’s just it’s just how you drive though because like no that yeah no no no no but I am gonna make you

John Kubic (20:36)
Yeah, I don’t I follow nobody home. I don’t crash my car into you, you know

The ShortMerc (20:44)
you know consider your actions because I do drive like a dick once you piss me off to that point I’ll cut you off and just sit there and then box you in and everybody else has seen this and I love it but I love it when other people show up to box that same idiot in because they have also pissed them off so it’s just all of us yeah yeah like it’s and then a semi sees what’s happening so then they take over their box between two semis it’s great

John Kubic (20:52)
See, I don’t even do that.

That camaraderie is cool under those circumstances.

The ShortMerc (21:10)
But yeah, I love taking the back roads though, that aside, because you get to see all this other shit. And up here, there’s so many parks and little divots and cutouts and all of the flora and fauna do such different things. I will say there are some roads you should not drive at night, even on the back roads, because one, turkeys are assholes. Two, moose. And I’m sorry, but my car is not going to survive a moose at two in the morning.

John Kubic (21:19)
yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

Most

cars won’t. There’s not many cars. yeah.

The ShortMerc (21:35)
Yeah, the moose will be fine. My car and I, we will

be a little fucked up. But like, it’s where I find some of the most amazing fucking things is just driving the back roads, taking that extra minute to just experience something like…

like all these little fucking stones that I’ve found with all this other it’s just driving the back roads man it’s just out there chilling and I feel like art’s the same I feel like any any actual trade that you’re passionate about is the same way like you’re gonna take that extra five minute marker you’re gonna go out of your way a little bit you’re gonna see what else is there because there’s really no point in you sitting in the same avenue for that long like if you want to go explore fucking go explore that’s the way it should be

John Kubic (21:50)
Yes, yes.

The ShortMerc (22:14)
think it’s brilliant. I think it’s important. I think it’s a requirement, honestly.

John Kubic (22:18)
I

get, but I get when it doesn’t work for some people. I understand some, that’s why, mean, we’ll full circle on it, be bringing it back to like the driving to get somewhere. Like for me, you and I, like we both get the idea of like, I don’t really want to be on the fucking highway or freeway if I have to, sure. But I’m generally, I try to avoid it if I can, you know, because I’d rather take the extra 15 minutes cruising. It’s like my listening to some good music in my own fucking head space.

The ShortMerc (22:22)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

John Kubic (22:44)
doing my fucking thing. Like I like my car. I enjoy driving my fucking car. I like riding. I’m cool with that. Like, so fuck the 15 minutes. You know what mean? That’s, I ain’t worried about that.

The ShortMerc (22:51)
Yeah.

Yeah. Now, and I get the mission too. Like if you’re like, I need to get from point A to point B and just get there. Cause I’m not saying I’d never take the highway. If I have to get there, I’ll take the highway. But, or I’ll leave a lot earlier. But if you know your day is stacked and you got to get something done or your night is stacked and you got to get something done or it’s an emergency, like you kind of don’t have the time.

John Kubic (22:59)
Yes, yes.

True. True.

Yeah.

Boom. Yeah. are those are those

like those those those situations are, you know, of course it’s necessary to be line and and punch it. So see. So yeah, that’s

The ShortMerc (23:21)
Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, so that’s a little bit

different.

But also mandatory for passion projects, I think, too, because they’re going to be somewhere you’re like, I just need to get through this to get to the next stage. Like I need to get where I’m going to get to. I need to learn what I’m going to learn. I need to pick up what I’m to pick up and then just be done. Like when you power through Bowser’s Castle because you need to get to the next world and you’re like, great. I’ve already done this like six times. Let’s just keep it going. And then you go explore the next world because you crushed your mission. Yeah.

John Kubic (23:53)
Yes, yes. You can’t

brag when you get through level one.

The ShortMerc (23:57)
No, because that’s everybody’s happy place. Mushroom Kingdom is awesome.

John Kubic (24:02)
It’s funny

because I ran into my fish guy yesterday, like I said, he’s the purchaser, you where I go and shop and we somehow another, you know, we always just have random conversations. When we talk about life, like I said, he’s got a kid, he’s he’s very active, he’s got cool sleeves and he’s just, he’s that kind of person. Like once again, fitting into this world the best he can, but he’s the manager there, so he’s running the show. Younger dude, probably a little closer to your age than me, obviously.

The ShortMerc (24:18)
bit.

John Kubic (24:25)
But we, someone got in the game thing and I said something, he’s like, yeah, can’t, you can’t like, you can’t get all excited when you complete the first level. I’m like, exactly. You know what I mean? We both, you just made that same reference. And I was like, ⁓ perfect.

The ShortMerc (24:36)
Yep.

I think too many people ⁓ are used to getting praise when they complete the first level. Like, look what I did! It’s like, yeah, that’s the easiest one. Good job. Unless you’re playing God of War, because sometimes that first level is a bitch.

John Kubic (24:46)
Yeah.

And, but they’re just trying to weed

out the week. They’re like, if you’re not really committed, then don’t fucking play us.

The ShortMerc (24:59)
Yeah,

but like this there’s another game bloodborne. I have I got to maybe 40 PS5 Yeah, so i’m a playstation kid like i’m always gonna be a playstation kid

John Kubic (25:04)
What system are you on right now? Okay, cool.

I love,

I do, I have them both. So I can’t, can’t, I used to only PS5. No, it happened without me having any controller. Like the old lady was like, I bought an Xbox. So then it was just here and I was like, oh, and I had the PS4 at the time. So now she had the new Xbox. I was like, this is kind of cool. It’s a pretty cool system. Not bad. Especially comparing her to one that’s five years behind. You know, it’s like not really fair. So I’m like, wow, it’s pretty cool. And got used to playing on it and I liked it.

The ShortMerc (25:15)
Not no disrespect. None at all.

Yeah.

John Kubic (25:39)
But of course this year.

The ShortMerc (25:41)
Yeah, PS5 is fucking awesome. I love that thing.

John Kubic (25:41)
Yeah. I love, I

love, yeah, PlayStation is always where it’s at. PlayStation. Yes. ⁓

The ShortMerc (25:46)
Like I grew I grew up on Sega Genesis and Nintendo, all the Nintendos.

But then PlayStation happened and I was like, well, and then Tekken happened and I was like, well. And then it just it spiraled from there, then Crash Bandicoot and Rayman. And I just couldn’t stop. Now I’m on Fallout, which is on everything. Yeah. Yeah. And then.

John Kubic (25:58)
Nice.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, there are certain games, right? That just go across every fucking board, every console.

want to, I do need to get an RPG, I think. think I was thinking about it for some reason. I don’t know if I need it. It was sitting down this morning when I woke up at like six and I was just making my coffee and some reason that popped in my head and I’m like, I think I need an RPG for my PS4. Yeah, yeah, of course. But I was like, what’s new? Like what’s going on?

The ShortMerc (26:14)
I do have a switch in them.

Have you played Fallout yet?

John Kubic (26:36)
Like, you know what I I don’t follow this shit enough, to be honest with you. No.

The ShortMerc (26:37)
Have you played Elden Ring yet?

Yeah, try that. It’ll piss you off at first, but it’s pretty fucking cool. That one’s pretty cool. Borderlands is pretty good. Like the fourth one. That one’s…

John Kubic (26:42)
to look it up. I’ll have to look at it.

Yeah, I’m gonna do some research.

haven’t dove like it’s been a while since my inner child took over the driving seat. But like I think things are going things are going well. I’m like, I might reward myself not and it won’t I know me like trust me when I’m talking to you about this. It’ll take me weeks before I buy something because I’ll be like now you got to put in another week because you still need to get tires and like so like that but I will but it’ll be on the list. Yeah, it’s what it’s need or want.

The ShortMerc (26:53)
Duck, duck.

Yeah, you can experiment with a few things.

Discipline. Discipline. Yeah.

John Kubic (27:16)
It’s always need or want for man. Just because I want something, I don’t get it. But it’s on the list. I’m thinking about it. I am thinking about it.

The ShortMerc (27:20)
yeah i mean that’s that’s fair it should be on the fucking list you best be thinking about it

goat noise you can cut right here just cut right just slice

John Kubic (27:33)
Perfect. Chop it in half.