Toluca Lake with Derek Waters (3)
Speaker 1
Derek and I find ourselves passing by a little side yard decorated with uplifting wooden signage and inspirational quotes. There's just a lot of signs that you might find at your Nana's house that are posted on this. Man, there's a lot.Wow. Okay.
Speaker 2
I know.
Speaker 1
Feel good signs.
Speaker 2
Feel all hopeful, but a little too many that you're like...
Speaker 1
Always be honest, be kind, enjoy the little things. Yeah. And this is how a lot of people do just what we're talking about.They process it by just kind of fun little aphorisms and idioms to kind of help you through the day.
Speaker 2
But then doing this podcast, you're walking, you're being physical, and then you're talking to people that you care for.
Speaker 1
I have to say the walking always helps. It's, I mean, a cliche at this point because I say it all the time, but it really does help.
Speaker 2
The first thing you do in the morning is a great glass of water and a walk. I mean, look at me. I'm the healthiest guy you'll ever meet.But I'm just saying that really is so great to get your body moving. You wake up with the water.
Speaker 1
Can we talk about the water briefly? This is something, this is a new little thing I've been also doing. And it was because the algorithm, you know, suggested it to me.
Speaker 4
Good morning.
Speaker 1
But just having a glass of warm water or like hot water. Or if you've got lemon, putting lemon in it on top of that. Who told you that?Who told you this?
Speaker 4
This is a thing.
Speaker 1
This is like a thing that people say is healthy. And I figured I'm not even going to research this. Like, I know that water is good.I can definitely, water is good.
Speaker 2
What's the hot, I mean, don't you remember Hot Water Burn Baby? Rain Man, sorry.
Speaker 1
Right, right. It's warm water. I couldn't place that quote.
Speaker 2
I don't put ice cubes in my water in the morning.
Speaker 1
You like it room temp?
Speaker 2
Yeah, well, it's in a thermos that I've had out since the night before.
Speaker 1
Right, so it's kind of, yeah.
Speaker 2
It's right room temp, but like it wakes your body up, you know? Like it's nice to be like, oh, now you're telling your, I used to like drink before bed my water and like, oh, wake up and go take a piss. And then I have some more water.It's like, well, now my body is so confused. Yeah. And I'm tired of confusing my body.
Speaker 1
My body's got enough to worry about.
Speaker 2
My body has enough to worry about.
Speaker 1
Keeping this vessel alive. But, you know, cold water kind of does something with my throat, you know?
Speaker 4
Right.
Speaker 1
So there's got to be something to that warm water that kind of loosens up your body. I think it also has to do with gut health, you know?
Speaker 4
Yes.
Speaker 1
I've been doing it every day for a couple weeks now, so I can't really speak to it. But it does feel a little bit better to have a cup of warm water or even hot water before I start chugging coffee and stuff.
Speaker 2
Oh, never. Never have coffee first.
Speaker 1
I know. That's generally how I am, too, and it's probably fine. But, you know, it is like more acidic or whatever.So I feel like that helps. The warm water kind of helps the stomach lining. I don't know what the lemon is, but it's kind of a nice, fun little thing if you have it.
Speaker 2
I think it's just taste, right?
Speaker 1
I guess so.
Speaker 2
Try it out. I know if you get a sore throat, I do. My dad always taught me to put salt in warm water and gargle that.
Speaker 1
For sure. Yeah, classic.
Speaker 2
Classic.
Speaker 1
See, there's these old kind of ancient techniques that, you know, we just— They're ancient for a reason. They're ancient for a reason, and we should be—we should keep on doing them because our bodies are now ancient.
Speaker 2
Hey, when you were talking about your screenplay and stuff, one thing that I've been doing and that I really want to have more people do is like doing fun table reads, like where it's like there's no producers, it's just your friends, and they hear something out loud. It's not like, oh, someone's going to tell you, this sucks. It's like, no, when you hear something out loud, it just does something differently.
Speaker 1
Yeah.
Speaker 2
And so I— That's so true.
Speaker 1
I hadn't even thought about that. That's something to maybe look forward to.
Speaker 2
That's what I want to do more at my house and more with friends, of like writing stuff that you're not even sure what it's going to be and just like hearing it and then talking about it with friends. Without it feeling like some men's group, you know what I mean? Like it's an artist group of all men and women and everybody to just hear your words out loud.
Speaker 4
Right.
Speaker 2
And then when you leave, we all fucking rip on you and make a podcast about it.
Speaker 1
That should be the thing is that the writer leaves first so that everybody can really kind of decompress after the awkwardness of that.
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Speaker 1
What the heck is wrong with that vibe? Some of the themes are pretty dark.
Speaker 2
Yeah, I'm getting Columbine vibes.
Speaker 1
Yeah. Can you have someone arrested over their second draft of their screenplay?
Speaker 2
Their table reads are going great. Three people have been arrested on suspicion. Oh, man.But no, you know what I'm saying? I'm like—and I also like having ideas where you're like, oh, I'll be accountable of like, hey, in October, your thing is up.
So you've got to bring your thing in on October and cast it.And we hear it out loud. Just think it does so many things. As we all know, a power of a deadline.Oh, yeah. And it'll never be ready.
I really believe that, man.I don't think I've ever done anything where I'm like, it's ready.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 2
I'm like, it's going to be good, but our brains are like, yeah, but what if I do this? What if I do this? Well, you've run out of time.You've had your time, and now you just do it. I really do think everything could have been better.
Speaker 1
Oh, my God.
Speaker 2
But everything needs to be done, you know?
Speaker 1
Yeah, you'll just never finish it.
Speaker 2
I have that battle all the time of like, nothing will be perfect, but what would be really awful, there's this great— I'm trying to remember if it's a book or a scene. I don't remember where it is, but it's in my brain of a story about— I believe it's Les Brown, who's a great motivational speaker, told a story that I'm not going to do it justice, but that when he was talking about when we die, right before we die, all the dreams that we had that we never did anything with come to our deathbed because they're going to die too. I know, but it makes you go, because these dreams could never happen without you.We needed you. We needed you.
Speaker 1
I think it's a— Holy moly.
Speaker 2
I think it's a good morning conversation.
Speaker 1
What?
Speaker 2
No, but you know, it makes you go like, shit, I don't want these dreams to die. I want them to come true. So I guess my point is the battle of will it be perfect, and will it be like, get it out there without it being some rusty shit film that you make your friends pay $20,000 on Kickstarter to make.There's that version too, where it's just like, all right, calm down, guys. You can make a movie without asking your friends for money.
Speaker 1
Well, there's something even just the— I mean, even on the micro level of getting an outline out, there's something of just like having some form of it outside, of an idea outside of your brain now that is incredibly satisfying. And, you know, maybe all I need. That might be it.That might be as far as it goes. But having an idea that's got a beginning, middle, and end that all could change is very gratifying.
Speaker 2
And, like, you know your end, but it might not happen where you think it's going to happen. And that's how, like, oh, hearing it through someone else's ears, through someone else's mouth, and into your ears might make you see it differently.
Speaker 1
Yeah. Morning. I'm a fan of this neighborhood.I've never gotten to just kind of explore this cozy little suburb on foot.
Speaker 2
Yeah, it's very sweet. It's quiet without it being isolated.
Speaker 1
Yeah, it's near—you might be able to— maybe or may not be able to hear the plane overhead.
Speaker 2
I think they can hear it.
Speaker 1
We're not far from the Burbank Airport, which is— that's a huge plus if you're living in this neighborhood.
Speaker 2
I love the Burbank Airport. I will die for it.
Speaker 1
I think everybody agrees it's the superior airport.
Speaker 2
Yeah, if you ever had the chance. You might have a layover, but it's worth it.
Speaker 1
I hope that whenever LA is— or LAX is ever done with the construction and the people mover to the big transit center that they just built— They're doing a people mover? They're doing a people mover, allegedly. There's a big transit center that you can take the train to, and then you would cross over to the people mover.
Speaker 2
Wow.
Speaker 1
Which would take you directly to LAX.
Speaker 2
That's amazing.
Speaker 1
Yeah, it's a few steps along the way. There's a process to get there. But yeah, it could be a huge game changer.But I feel like it's being delayed. I don't even know the ins and outs of it, but it's kind of been delayed a little bit.
Although, I went to the opening of the transit center.Beautiful, modern facility. And I saw a glimpse of the people mover. And it was moving.It wasn't really moving people. But it was kind of moving around.
I guess they're still testing it.I guess there's a lot of testing that has to happen. Did you know that prehistorically this was all marshlands?
Speaker 2
Here's the research we heard about earlier, folks. Three weeks. Three weeks.
Speaker 1
I'm so excited.
Speaker 2
No, no, keep going. I did not know that.
Speaker 1
Well, no. I mean, the lake, like you said, I guess it is man-made, the actual Toluca Lake. But, yeah, this was all when the indigenous tribes, the Tongva people were here for thousands and thousands of years.It was all marshland. Wow. I kind of thought, because, you know, because you're from a region that's known for its aquatic life, the crab, the blue crab.
Speaker 2
Maryland, yeah, Maryland, blue crab.
Speaker 1
And, you know, maybe there's, is there a connection there? Do you feel like you were maybe drawn to this? You could feel the ghost of the marsh?
Speaker 2
Well, you know, not a lot of people know this, but when I say it, it sounds made up, is that my mom's last name was Shores, and she married a water.
Speaker 1
Wow.
Speaker 2
So I feel like it's in my DNA.
Speaker 1
You're like an aquatic man.
Speaker 2
I am, yeah. I love the water, but I hate the fucking beach. Like, I love the sound of water, being on a boat, but, man, beach, sunscreen.
Speaker 1
What about lakes?
Speaker 2
Lakes, love it. Prefer lakes to beach. I prefer a lake, yeah.I get that. It's the sand of beach that really disturbs me. But, yeah, I've never chosen to be hot, and that's what a beach feels to me.But water, yeah, I've always been drawn to water.
Speaker 1
I love that.
Speaker 2
Yeah. 70%?
Speaker 1
The body. Body. Right.Body, yeah.
Speaker 2
Yeah. I had a cool Pearl Jam shirt as a kid. It just said Pearl Jam, and on the back it said 70% water.I was like, that's random and cool.
Speaker 1
Oh, really? I don't remember. Was that a lyric or?
Speaker 2
No, it was just a green T-shirt. I don't know where it went, but I got fat, and I can't fit in anymore.
Speaker 1
What's, you know, I'm not.
Speaker 2
I lost 200 pounds.
Speaker 1
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2
I lost 200.
Speaker 1
How did you accomplish that?
Speaker 2
I did the warm water, not with 11. I stopped looking in the mirror.
Speaker 1
You kind of took the batteries out of the scale?
Speaker 2
I reversed the scale, yeah.
Speaker 1
We'll be right back after this.
Speaker 3
Sleep is important, but it's difficult sometimes. I'm John Moe. On Sleeping With Celebrities, famous people help conk you out by talking in soothing voices about unimportant things.Maria Bamford on parking. I parked in a bus stop.
That's just not right.I am not a bus. Roxanne Gay on airports. My favorite airport is Indianapolis.It has a really smart layout. Alan Tudyk on yardsticks.
You hand somebody a yardstick, yardsticks become part of the family.Granted, it's a weird idea, but it's lots of fun and it works. Listen wherever you get podcasts.
Speaker 1
Welcome back to Walking About. You know, one thing I don't consider nearly enough when I'm out there walking about is how our neighbors who are visually impaired navigate these tricky streets and icky sidewalks. So here's a dispatch from Walking About listener Kat about how she gets around her neighborhood in Manhattan.
