SPEAKER_04 0:04

That wasn't the plan.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Hello, hello Emily. Here's the most terrified dog ever. Oh goodness. Hi body. He's so scared. He's so scared all the time. He's so scared. He's so scared all the time. Hey. Welcome, hello. Oh, are you gonna he's like frozen. He is, are you no, he's not shut down right now. But like sometimes he'll be so shut down, like, and you can see it in his eyes. He's not making memories. Hey, buddy, thanks for coming on the podcast today.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_04 0:46

Welcome to that wasn't the plan. And for uh hey, for everybody else out there avoiding their responsibilities. I am uh Emily White.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

And uh I'm your I'm the world's kid sister, Courtney Holland. Good to see you. Oh Courtney, how's it going this week? It's been a good week. It's been um it's warm. It's warm out.

SPEAKER_04 1:10

I was just gonna ask, what's the temperature like out there?

SPEAKER_00 1:13

It's freaking warm and uh which is crazy because last week we were frozen in a tundra and I couldn't get out of the house and it was a lot. So did you have snow last week? Oh yeah, yeah, sorry. There was snow. We had like a cut like two different snowstorms. One of them was snowed than fleet, so it was like packed, so everything was like solid ice. It was so fun. That sounds like a lot of fun. It was fun, but it does make me it makes me mi miss those LA the LA war, but you know, that shit got old after a while. You know what I mean? Like I I do.

SPEAKER_04 1:50

And you know, people are like, Oh, why did you ever want to leave Los Angeles? And I'm like, Well, here the truth of the matter is I was seasonally depressed because there is no change of season. There's no you know, it just goes from like hot to warm to hot again, and you know, 11, 12 years had passed by and I was like, What? We haven't even had fall yet, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

I always tell people the passage of time is very strange in Los Angeles because you very strange. There's cr holidays come and go, and most of the time I would leave for the holidays, uh though I did stay once in for Christmas, and that was bizarre because it's like a ghost town. Nobody's it really is nobody's pretty great. You can go to the beach in like 18 minutes, it's crazy from anywhere.

SPEAKER_04 2:37

So true. Yeah, so true. Yeah, it is a strange place. Everybody looks so good all the time, too. So no one enters.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Um, but I I left LA with some of the most fantastic like experiences that I have been able to retell in my life. And you know, and anyone who's lived in a city, I feel like has stories of you know what what I mean, it could be anything. So um boy, do I have a story for you. Oh, I can't wait. Yes. What is your story today? It's titled Flagging Down Your Own Mugger. Okay. Very nice. So in Los Angeles, I was a dog walker. Well, I was an actor, so I was actually a dog walker and a house sitter. So I worked for a company um who worked with I I mean, I'd walked famous people's dogs. I and everybody was lovely.

SPEAKER_04 3:31

So had the coolest dog.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

Oh my gosh. I'm gonna be honest. I don't know if this is name-dropping or if it's allowed, uh, but always sunny in Philadelphia. Yeah. D and the there's another gentleman on the show that's her husband. They had a dog named Oscar, and he was so beautiful and so well trained, like very well trained. And he he was delightful. Oh, what kind of dog was he looked like a German shepherd, but I be if I remember correctly, his ears were a little rounded. He was just very interesting, sweet, very, very, very well behaved.

SPEAKER_04 4:10

Was he as big as a German Shepherd?

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Yeah, he was just he was, I mean, he wasn't huge, but he was like a a bit, he was a big dog. That's what I would consider a big dog. But um lovely, lovely.

SPEAKER_04 4:21

When wait, when was this in LA? Like how long had you been there?

SPEAKER_00 4:25

Uh this was my second tour. So I think it was like 2007, 2008, 2009. Okay. So 2008 or 2009. I think I was I don't think I would turn 30 yet. So um got a job with a uh wonderful company called C Spot Walk. They were just lovely. We worked for a lot of richer people, and we um one of the houses that we habitually stayed at, like we were recurring uh. So you were actually staying at houses. Oh yeah. It was wild. Yeah. Okay. So this house was in Beverly Hills, like an older couple lived there, so it definitely had like a grandma-grandpa vibe. Um, very big, had a pool in the back. So um I'd stayed there quite a few times over the the like the year that I'd been working for them. So I was staying there. It was a Thursday night. Um, I had I had my Chihuahua uh rooster with me, and I was in my pajamas, and I the owner called and said, Could you put your move and put your car on the street? Because the groomer is coming in the morning and needs to park around back so they can groom the dogs. And I said, Of course. So I went to put my car. Uh I I tried to start it. It was on an incline, wouldn't start. Um, it was low on gas, which I always was, and so it wouldn't start. So I was just like, Oh, I'll just roll it out and then it'll start and I'll push it. You know, we all know how to get around these things. So I rolled it out of the driveway and I'm in the middle of the street. It's like 9 p.m. again. Is it a busy street in Beverly Hills or kind of one of those side streets? Not a lot. It was still felt very neighborhood, like it was a neighborhood. Um, and I know they had ADT because I ended up trying to call them. But um, so my car rolled it into the street, it won't start. And I'm like, fudge. It's nine o'clock, Thursday night, Beverly Hills. And as you know, Emily, I can't just go to a house and knock and be like, Can you help me? You know? No, no, no, no. Do you want to get shot? Yeah. So you get arrested before they even asked what you were doing there. Yeah, they would, they already saw me. Somebody saw me, and they're like, there is hoodlum on the street. So, and I'm in my PJs, like I said. Um, so I call, I tried to call ADT and I said, I'm stranded, I'm my car won't move and they kept telling me the address that I gave them was incorrect. And I think when I hung up, like I was so frustrated. Um, because I was freaking out. I was embarrassed. I was like, You were calling their security company or security, they had a security person that like drove around the neighborhood. Yeah, right. Okay. Um, and I was actually giving them the wrong address. So bless their hearts. I was so stressed out. I thought I was giving them the right address, and I was just so embarrassed. Um, and uh, I even a jogger went by and I'm just so I finally called my boss. I don't have triple A. Um, I have insurance, but like insurance is not gonna send a car. So I called my boss and I'm like, I don't know what to do. I'm I'm I'm stuck in the middle of the street. I'm at the green's house and I uh the car won't start. So she's like, okay, don't worry, I'll send my husband right now. And as she says it, a nice car starts driving down the street. I was like, oh, you know what? A car is coming. I'm gonna flag him down, ask him to help push my car. And how nice, yeah. She said, Okay, call me when after. And I was like, I will. Hung up, car pulls up. It's a nice, it was a white Toyota Solara. It was a nice, uh newer one. Um, a girl was driving, a woman, and a guy was in the side, in the passenger side. So I'm leaning in to the car and she's driving, he's there. And I was like, I'm so sorry. Could you just hop out and help me push my car out of the middle of the street? It's stalled out. And they're like, Oh, yeah, sure. So they pull over and they pulled over into this exactly where the car was gonna go. So I started to walk towards their car and say, Oh, you might want to pull up a little bit. And the guy gets out of the car with a gun and he's like, Oh my god. Yeah, he's pointing a gun at me. He says, Don't be stupid. And I was like, Oh god, but I am so fucking stupid. That was like, dude, you picked the right girl tonight. Yeah. And he was like, Give me your purse, don't be stupid. I was like, I don't have my purse, and he was like, Don't be stupid. And I I just remember he kept saying, Don't be stupid. And I'm like, And so he came back to me, he came at me and and got into the car, started digging through the car because he was certain that I had a purse. So he's digging through the car and rooster is in the car. And I remember thinking, He's gonna have to kill me. Like, yeah. So I'm standing there, like I was just trying to hand him things as he's digging because giving him scrolls paper. Um I gave him the connector to my uh like where you push, you turn the the radio, you connect it to your uh nano. I'm like, here, this is trash, you want it? So um he's digging, and I'm kind of thinking, I don't even know what I'm thinking, honestly. It just I kept thinking he said, Don't be stupid. And I was like, I'm fucking the dumbest person I know. Um, and then suddenly the girl in the car turns the volume way up on the sound of the stereo. And then he walks away, he says, Give me your phone. So I give him my phone, and then he gets in the car and they drive off.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

I'm like, so I'm in the street, and of course, because someone pointed a gun at me, I was like, I was like, oh, I was just in shock. So my embarrassment, I I I just ran to a house, right? The closest house because I didn't have a phone now. Um, and I knocked on their door and I've backed away from their door because I feel like I felt like I looked like scum of the earth, like down and out. I was like 29. I was perfectly fine. I was drunk at the time, but that never played a role in it. Um, I know. So the door opens, and I just think they're gonna have a shotgun, or they're gonna be like, get away from the door. Um, and I had my hands up and I was like, I I'm so sorry. I was just mugged. They're still in the neighborhood. They just took off. Um, he had a gun. So they brought me in, and they could not have been more kind. They were so sweet to me and treated me like a real person. Like in my head, I just had an idea of who I was at that time. You know how it is when you're struggling every day and you can't make ends meet. And so um, I remembered the woman's name was Sandy, and I was like, that's my mom's name. And they called 911, and as we're waiting for the police, and I'm crying, and then they got in touch with C Spot Walk. So they called them to let them know, um, which was incredible. I and um they just handled, and then she was like, Would you like some tea?

SPEAKER_01 11:13

And I was like, Oh, sweet, sure.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

What do you have bought, Kabo? No, I I said, Yeah, I'll I was like, I'd love some tea. She brings me a tea, chamomile tea, in a golden goblet. It was like crystal, beautiful gold.

SPEAKER_04 11:30

I was just like, I was like, she and she comes out with a tiara and a gown for you two.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Like, do you need pearl earrings? And I'm like, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

But they were so sweet. Did the cops come? Oh, yeah. So there were cop cars up and down that street. You would have thought there was a homicide. Yeah. They and my car was still in the middle of the street. No one has moved it. Um, and of course, one after another, they keep asking me to tell the story again and again and again and again. And I I don't remember thinking anything other than like, are do you guys not communicate? Like, I I just didn't think it was that profound of a story, but I kept telling it, kept telling it. Probably they wanted to check and make sure that it was like you're not making this up and because it is what the fuck?

SPEAKER_03 12:19

Like, you know.

SPEAKER_04 12:21

So, like of all chances, the one car that happened to be there at the happened the time that this happened to like mug you. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Oh, and like the people from work showed up and they were gonna have someone else stay there that night. And then another girl came because I couldn't take my car. They wanted to brush it for prints. So I couldn't take my car. Oh god. So they've dusted the car. It's his fingerprints because his hands were all over the car. And so, um, and I I mean, it was like two or three hours before I got to leave. I know. What time was crazy? You said this was around like eight or nine at night? It was nine o'clock at night. So around eleven was when I finally got to leave, somewhere around there. Oh, yeah. And my my coworker took me, was gonna take me home. But before I left, a cop came up to me and he said, Listen, you need to go buy a lottery ticket tonight. This is I've never heard of anything like this happening. And I was like, So we did. We went and bought a lottery ticket. She bought it because I didn't have any money, and um, we did not win anything. So I was just gonna say, Yeah. So um, yeah, because I I had remembered like four of the letters or numbers on the license plate. So I was able to give them that. Yeah. I gave them all my phone records from that night on because they kept the phone and they bought ringtones on the phone. And I wanted to, I was like, officer, is there any way we can find out what the ringtones were? No, is that weird. Somehow get those on my new phone. Right. I just was like picturing Xana do. Um like what? Who buy it? Nothing but Olivia. Yeah. So um, yeah, and they had me speak to a caricature artist, and I mean, it was you really were because he had a gun. Yeah, yeah. And they were asking me. Gun like exploits any situation. Of course, yeah. And um, I knew it was a revolver. I saw that, and then they were like, was it loaded? And I was like, how the fuck do you think I'm gonna know that he's and now I understand like revolvers? You can I'm like, but I'm not, I'm like, is it loaded? But I will say, I did not think he was gonna shoot me. That never crossed my mind. I mean he was gonna escalate something to a whole nother level.

SPEAKER_04 14:40

For sure. Like the fact that I'm gonna be like, if you're in Beverly Hills and you're gonna shoot somebody on the street, you're big big time, right? Yeah. So yeah, that was uh um Oh my god. That's God. That's one. Um okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Oh, go ahead. No, I was gonna say, did you did they ever find them that you know him? Did you no? But I would see Toyota Solaras. And you know what really the what burns my cookies is that a woman driving the car watched a man point a gun at another woman. Like, bitch, and she was beautiful and really cute. They were young, they were they looked like they were going to a club. They looked adorable. But I just love that. Don't be stupid. Don't be stupid. I'm like, you barking up the wrong tree, motherfucker. I'm very stupid. I'm so stupid. I do a lot of stupid things. Yeah. Look at what's in my car. You know, I'm drunk off the booze in this house. Like, well, and then he didn't know I was staying there. Did he not see your pajamas on? Well, you well, and I was gonna say, back in those days, yeah, people weren't walking around everywhere in their fucking pajamas, but um, and I had slippers on too. So I'm I don't I don't know if they were gonna get, I mean, if they would have gone so far as to try and go in the house or anything like that, but there wasn't a lot of people. That would have been there. Had you been like, I'm this is my house, been like, take me inside. Yeah. Um, so my ability to choose the person to assault me is pretty phenomenal. There's a book called Um The Gift of Fear at my sister gave me after this happened. And um, it talks about how always ask for help because only 0.0023 something percent of people that ask somebody for help are gonna get hurt by the person they asked for help from. And that's you. And I'm left-handed. Holy shit.

SPEAKER_04 16:38

I'm surprised you didn't win the lottery that night.

unknown 16:40

I know.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

Well, I did win the lottery in another way. So this is four months later or so. Um, my partner at the time and I really wanted to see Black Swan. So we did a rare thing. We went into Hollywood to the arc light to watch it opening night, and it was like the midnight showing.

SPEAKER_04 16:57

What do you mean you did a rare thing by going into Hollywood? Where did where were you living at the time or something?

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Oh, North Hollywood on a Saturday night. Like when did you ever go into Hollywood on ever? Like really. Right? Nobody in my neighborhood. Exactly. Yeah. Or went to the movie theater in the valley. Like I wouldn't go to the Arc Light, but I was excited about the movie, you know? And so we saw the movie and we come out of the movie theater. Arc light has a giant, you know, parking garage. We get out there, there's helicopters everywhere, people are running, and they're like, get inside, there was a shooting. So there was a shooting in the garage, and we had to sit and wait in the lobby of the arc light. They didn't, it and it was like 3 a.m. by the time we're finally like, all right, we're not getting our car tonight. Let's go take a cab. Um, so we start walking up Vine, and um there's a cab right there. Uh, and Mike goes over and says, How much? Because we had to get cash out of the ATM. That's how long ago this was. You couldn't pay with a card. Right. So, uh, how much is it gonna cost to go to North Hollywood? And he told us, so Mike went and got cash out. And Mike just wanted to go back to that cab. And I was like, no, no, let's just keep walking, and then we'll flag one down. And then, you know, we're already moving in that direction. So so we did. We started walking. Here comes a cab, flagged him down, pulls over, nice enough, you know. We get in the car, it's a skinny white dude, and we start driving. And Mike is very chatty, and and you know, I'm chatty, and we told him about the shooting, and he's like, You'll never read about it. Like they never post, they never do anything about like crime, you know, because they're trying to keep tourism up. And I was like, that's very fair, that's true. So we he's like, Do you mind if we stop? I need to put some water in my car. And we're like, sure. So we go in, we get waters, and then we get one for him, just because we're fucking nice. Um, and uh, we start driving, and Mike is really, you know, chatting him up and he's like, So uh, what made you, you know, start driving a cab? And he was like, Well, you know, I it's it's been really tough out here, you know. I um I spent time in prison and you know, it's really hard to get a job after spending time in prison. And Mike was like, Yeah, I can imagine. Yeah. And um, and he was like, Yeah, you know, there's just a point in your life where you say to yourself, You gotta stop this home invasion shit. And we're both like, huh? But still playing it cool, like, like I remember thinking, that's fucking weird. Um, and then I I kind of, you know, it was just weird. So Mike just didn't miss a beat. He was really like, yeah, so then um Mike was like, Well, what did you go to prison for, if you don't mind me asking? And he was like, if you go to YouTube, you uh YouTube um Alombra body dumping. And he was like, I was a limo driver, and a guy that I had driven somewhere got shot, and they brought him back out to the car. So me and another guy took him to a bank nearby and carried him in and dropped his body off and left because they didn't want to get in trouble. And and you, and I was like, we were both like, What? Oh shit. So then we we keep talking and and um they start talking about guns, and Mike had two guns legally at the time. And um, I think Mike was like, Yeah, I'm cool, I get it. Like, I'm totally like, I'm streetwise, I get it. So then he was like, Yeah, man, I've had such a hard time out there. Um, this isn't even a real cab. I'm not a real cab driver. This is a movie set cab. And we were like, Oh my god. And he was like, Yeah, so mainly I just drive back and forth from Hollywood to the beach and just, you know, charge them an arm and a leg, the tourists. And we're like, wow, that's that's crazy. And we're like, we really we were like, we've already given him our address. We're like, oh, well, sheesh! Like, holy smokes. So I'm certain at this point, he's gonna get to our apartment. Yeah, he's gonna say, Sir, you get out of the car. She's staying here with me. I need you to go get all uh your guns or whatever the fuck else they were doing. They were talking about drugs and stuff. Not anything crazy, like not dealing or whatever, but right. So we get there and he's like, Oh, hey, I used to, I got a friend that lives in that house right there.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

And we were like, Cool, all right, well, see you later.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

We got out of the car and went inside. And as we're walking away, we're like, holy fucking shit, holy fucking shit. And we tipped him like big time, and um, we locked all the doors. Oh my god, we got into the because it was a gated, you know, like our apartment complex is gated. We get in there and we run up the stairs and we go to YouTube and we're like a lumpati dumping, and there it is. He's right there on E1 line. It's a video of him. It's like broad daylight, he's driving on the mountain. It's the middle of the night, it's 12 p.m. Yeah. Explain this to me. Oh, oh, the shooting. The shooting. Yes. So it it's uh from a bank like security camera. Yeah, and he and another guy, he's dressed in a suit, and the other guy is dressed kind of like a punk, and they are carrying this guy in by he's got his hands, he's got his legs, they bring him in, they lay him on the ground. The guy in the suit, our cab driver, is points to somebody and says he's hurt, and then then they run. They take off. Um, so he went to prison because of it. Like that they dropped him off at a at a bank instead of a hospital. Or I mean, I don't I think you I don't think you can drop bodies off. I think you have to like, and the guy did die. So Oh, geez.

SPEAKER_04 22:22

Right? Well, they probably thought he was somewhat responsible for him being shot, as why he went to very well could be.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

He very well could have been. Yeah. But yeah, when he, I mean, he had the whole. I remember that the, you know, an old cab used to have like the digital, like, it looked like something out of a cab. It was not in the console, it was on the seat. So we were looking at it, but it looked in, I mean, everything about it seemed like a real cab.

SPEAKER_01 22:49

God, Courtney.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

Jesus, that would have scared the shit out of me.

SPEAKER_04 22:55

I would have been like, just drop me off right here.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

I mean, and we were just trying to play it cool because we didn't want to yeah, right.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

I don't know who this guy is. You don't know if he's capable.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

We are in at his mercy. We are in this mercy are for that like to be told like this isn't even a real cab. I'm not a real cab driver. This is a movie set cab. And some that, you know, you gotta tell yourself you gotta quit, you gotta quit it with this uh home invasion shit.

unknown 23:25

What?

SPEAKER_00 23:27

And that came early on, and we were like, you know, we're both trying to be like, I remember I touched Mike's hand and we were kind of like, we are both hearing these things, and we're both aware that this is a little scary. So so that happened within like four months of me flagging down my own mugger. I wouldn't believe four months after that. I got I crashed my car and then I moved back to I went to rehab. I I did win the lottery. Yeah, you did. You got sober. I got sober. But like those are some of the, you know, those two stories. And then this is this is my favorite, and it's very short, but it's it just I just love this one. Um, I'm working in Venice and I'm driving to go pick up breakfast. And on my way, I see a woman who she kind of looks like a like a kindergarten art teacher. She's got big flowy hair and she's lots of colors and um a Cheerio necklace, and yeah, she just looked like, you know, but she and she was older. So she makes dead eye contact with me and is like, oh my God. And she waves me down, and there's not really a lot of people on the street. So I pull over immediately and like put my hazards on. I was like, I did she need help, or maybe does she want to know what kind of car this is? Because it was a rental, and I don't know. Those are the things that crossed my mind. Right. So I roll my window down because she's on out out like outside of the car, and she just leans into the car and goes, Loser, and then walks away. And I was like, Oh, so I just took my hazards off and rolled the window up.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

She flagged my ass down. She was like, Oh, please. And then just loser was like, how did she know? Can you smell it on me? What the fuck? So mean.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

So awesome. And then when I was coming back from picking up the breakfast, she was getting arrested. So I do believe that she was maybe saying on something.

SPEAKER_01 25:43

But I just I couldn't think of something more hilarious for her to say to me. Eight in the morning. What was that?

SPEAKER_04 25:52

You're like, well, like now that that's been established, I gotta get to work.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

Have you been talking to my dad?

SPEAKER_00 26:02

So um, this is the last story I have. Uh it was again in the morning, but it was in Santa Monica. I'm driving to work. I'm right on the uh, what was that street, Ocean Avenue, where you can see the ocean. It's just beautiful. Um, and I'm heading into Venice and I'm at a stoplight, and I had short hair at the time. And I'm at a stoplight and I could hear, you know, you can kind of hear when you there's somebody that with some, you know, mental health crisis screaming, and you know, you know the sound of it. Um, so I heard it coming and I had my window down a little bit, and so I was just gonna keep looking front, and then I kept hearing as they're getting closer, Mister, Mister, and I'm the only car there. Oh no, no, I'm sorry, there was a car next to me, but I'm like the closest, and I'm like, does he think I'm a dude? So I just kind of like, and you just he's getting so close, mister, hey, mister. And then I didn't look, and he goes, You want to see my balls? And I was like, I mean, I guess. So I turned, sure enough, man just had his testicles in his hand. I don't know how that's possible. He had jeans on, and I was like, Well, there you go. Like pulled up and they were just kind of unzipped. He may have had the other piece covered with his hand. I don't, but I remember I'm like That's a strange suggestion. Like, here's only a little bit, the least exciting bit. Just the balls. But he asked.

SPEAKER_02 27:29

Oh, I mean, and he also thought he was a man.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

He's like, Mister, you want to see my balls? I'm like, I well, I guess I could. And there they were. Are they big? Um, no, and they were it was hard to see them. Um, so I was like, I got chipped. But um unremarkable balls, right? He got all the way up to my car and I was like, oh shit, should I have not looked? And then he suddenly stopped and walked around the front of my car and kept going, mistakes. I was like, oh, the whole time he was talking to that guy. It wasn't because he was thought I was a man.

SPEAKER_04 28:08

I well, I don't think he and I would ask you for money for looking at his balls.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

I should and I would have given him. I'm like, I have 45 cents to my name and you can have it before again in the morning. And I got to work and I was like, everybody, I got to see balls this morning before 7 a.m. What'd you get? Yeah. I can't remember if that was before, I think that was before the loser.

SPEAKER_04 28:37

Uh you're you're really nice rolling down your window and speaking with people on the street. I'd ignore everybody.

SPEAKER_00 28:43

You would not have ignored the woman. It she looked flowy and like, and it just felt like, I don't know. I think you would have. I think you would have. And I was also high, so I think everything was like, I was super aware, you know, of everything. And um, I'm an addict and an alcoholic if anyone's not listened to the show. So that comes into my story a little bit. But I was, and not like out of control, high. I was just kind of like, life was good, you know. And I was like, I'm gonna help this hippie woman. And then she she knew. She helped you, she helped me. She straight up told me, What's up? She's like, I saw you coming down the street in that car, and I said, That's a fucking loser if I ever saw one. Get your shit together. Yeah, loser. Yeah, you are wasting your parents' money. You have uh you ruined your life. Like, I mean, but it was, and it was still funny, even though it's honestly sad. There was both situations, there's a mental health crisis happening with both people. Um, and that's not funny, but like the fact that she simply said loser and then nothing else. Yeah, that just walked away. And I loved it. The moment where I'm like, well, turn my hazards off and I'll go.

SPEAKER_04 29:58

Sometimes, you know, when you're you're struggling with something and you're like, oh my God, just give me a sign. Like and then it's just like that still small voice in your head, and you're like, no, but I really need a sign. Like I needed me a sign in my face. Well, there you got it. I was like, I think I'm gonna make it.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

Oh, Courtney, those are good stories. Aren't they good? Like I would, I would do it all again. I mean, I would do it all again just because I learned whatever, but mostly because those stories are it's insane.

SPEAKER_04 30:31

I know. It it's true. We walk away with so many good stories. So good.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

And just also life lessons, and um, you know, I feel like I always now I'm like, I'm so street smart, but am I? I flagged down my own mugger and I flagged down another car that wasn't actually a cab. And I mean, he was parading as a cab driver. It wasn't like I just saw a random car and was like, you want to give us a ride? You know, so but yeah, that's you pull over for people that are needing help. Like I've I've checked myself into a mental hospital, like I've had my struggle with mental health, so I so I I I don't want to seem like I'm like, ha ha ha ha, they're suffering, but oh no, not at all. Yeah. No, but I mean it was poetic. Would you like to see my balls? I yes I would. Mister, pardon me, sir.

SPEAKER_04 31:31

Do you have any balls I can see?

SPEAKER_01 31:33

Would you would you like to see my balls?

SPEAKER_00 31:35

I mean, so good. Yeah. So those are my um, and uh, you know, the LA, like, I do believe in energy. And I believe um, because when I first moved out there, it was not long before I had my first like situation. I think you you I've certainly told you about it. I I was on a bus riding to Santa Monica and he was like rubbing his bits on me, and I didn't realize it. I mean, he was he was pants, but um, after that incident, and then another thing happened, and then another thing happened, like I definitely think I was putting out an I don't think I deserved it. I don't think I was, you know, nothing like that, but I think there was a fear that I was putting out there that was being sensed. Like it happened, you know, there was, I would say there's four times out not talking about the loser and want to see my balls, where I was walking um in Los Files. Uh, one guy threw a his Coke at me, totally doused me in Coke. He had just walked Coca-Cola. I was like, That's a waste of drugs. It was cocaine, he would just blew it in my face, and I was like, yeah. Very irresponsible of a drug addict. And he just came out, he had just gotten it and threw it at me. And I was like, What the fuck? I was like fucking crazy. Isn't that nice? So then uh after that, oh, my mom came into town. This is when I broke my foot, and my mom had to like kind of drive my car because it was a five-speed. And we were walking in the promenade, it was nighttime. I have I was on crutches, and oh a woman came up to me and got in my face, and she goes, You can walk. And I was like, Yeah, I know. And then my mom was like, My God. My mom was like, Whoops, I was like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 33:25

Because my mom tells the story where she was like, you know, you were telling us all this stuff, and we were like, Courtney, and then I saw it happen.

SPEAKER_00 33:34

She's like, She just came right up to you and just got in your face and go, You can walk. And I was like, I know.

SPEAKER_04 33:39

And she's just like But I prefer crutches.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

Yeah, I love crutches, they make my armpits feel good.

SPEAKER_04 33:45

Oh my God. I think the whole time Los Angeles was trying to give you a sign like you don't belong here. You don't want to be here. You're gonna want to be here.

SPEAKER_01 33:55

This is not your go home.

SPEAKER_04 33:57

We're gonna continue to make it horrible for you.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

It's so crazy. Like the world, it really was telling me, like, and I was like, no, I'm staying. Like, I just don't what was I gonna do? Go back to Northern Virginia and just be like, it was hard, it was scary.

SPEAKER_04 34:16

And there's no shame in that. It would say half the people in LA do that that are just like, you know, come out for a little bit and they're like, it is hard. It is hard. There were many times when I just wanted to give up, but I didn't.

SPEAKER_00 34:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:28

Um right?

SPEAKER_00 34:29

And why didn't you? You just kind of were like, this was a choice I made. I was like, well, I'm I've gotta, I just kicked kept thinking, I gotta see this through. I have to push through this. I wanted to see it just got worse and worse. It just was, you know, it and I lived in San Francisco before that, and I moved around a lot as a kid, so I was like, oh my god, I can live anywhere, I can handle it. And LA was by far the hardest place I've ever I mean the first day there, I woke up and I cried, and I was like, it just felt weird and wrong. But I made the choice, so it's no one's fault but my own. And I and then I just kept living here, living there. And I remember my partner and my fella at the time after we lived there for only like three months, and I was crying at myself to sleep at night. Like I just was confused about who I was and what I was doing there. Like, did I want to be an actor? Like, is that really what I want? Like, it just was, you know, scary. And he was like, Why don't you just go home? And I was like, Oh yeah, how what? Why would I that's not what this I've just gotta cry about it? Like, yeah, I'm just gonna cry about it. So so strange. I was grateful that like they believed me and like and it it didn't really register until later that they were checking my story, which absolutely like Yeah, I think they have to.

SPEAKER_04 35:52

If I were probably like, who's this girl?

SPEAKER_00 35:55

Right? I don't know if I would believe me, and you know me, so you know that like I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_04 36:01

I would since I do know you, I'd probably ask you a few times as well. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Mainly because I do elaborate, but I this story is so good as it is. Like, also, loser absolutely changed nothing about that story. It's my favorite. It's my favorite. You're feeling good about yourself, and God was like, I need to write something today. Yeah, you're a fucking loser.

SPEAKER_04 36:28

We're bringing your ego down just a little bit today.

SPEAKER_00 36:31

Driving around, I'm like, I think I'm gonna be okay.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

I think I'm gonna be okay. I think my life is on track now.

SPEAKER_00 36:36

I think I'm gonna be on track here soon, even though I am driving a rental car still, but it's fine.

SPEAKER_04 36:43

So good. Oh yeah. All right, well, uh, what's your word to the wise?

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Um shit. I wish I'd gotten all the license plate numbers. Because that would have been like, people would have been like, whoa. And I'd been like, yeah. And then they'd get them and they'd be like, dude, you were telling the whole truth. I was like, I know. All right. Yeah, I like that. Be aware. Like you are because I started to look at it and I started to, I can't even remember them now, but it was like, I know there was a why. And then I couldn't, but I knew it was a white Toyota Solara. Yeah. And it had like, I got like the first three of the license plate, which you think they could narrow it down, maybe. I don't know. But I don't be aware, try and get details.

SPEAKER_04 37:32

Always be present and um embrace that pivot.

SPEAKER_00 37:36

Mm-hmm. Embrace it. Because it who knows, who knows what what would have happened had that not happened to me that night. So true. Well, you wouldn't have had a good story today. I wouldn't have. And I would have met Sandy with her golden goblet, beautiful little mug that was like covered in gold. Gold. Like literally, and she was like, that is 14 karat. I think something along those lines. And I was just like, it's incredible. I think she got it from Turkey, you know. She was like, Henry VIII used to own that. Yeah.

unknown 38:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

You know, and I had a thank you card in my car for I'd say up to a year. And anytime I went back to that, because I didn't do another overnight there. Um, but I would go walk the dogs near there, and I'd have and I really wanted to stop and put the thank you card in the, but I just felt embarrassed. Like I was like, oh, someone's gonna be like, who are you?

SPEAKER_02 38:30

Why are you putting something in the mail? And I'd be like, Yes, Sandy was nice.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

Like, I still wish I had done that.

SPEAKER_04 38:36

But yeah, I think that's that's a good note because I feel the same sometimes where you are embarrassed to say thank you or you're you're grateful for someone's help. Um but you know what? It's such a good thing. It feels so good for you. And then when they open that up and they're like, Oh, like yeah, it is a it is a good thing to help people.

SPEAKER_00 38:54

It is. Be careful, be aware, and always be grateful. And yes, send that thank you card, send that get-wall card. Give somebody, you know, if you see someone, a mom in particular, I saw a young mom with two young, young kids under the age of fucking one, and she was getting all frazzled dealing with it. And I I stopped her and I said, You do an amazing job. I'm absolutely in awe of you. And she was like, Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 39:23

I was like, seriously, I'm not a mom. I don't even know how you do it.

SPEAKER_04 39:27

Yeah, whomever's listening to this today, just help a stranger out by either saying something, holding open a door, or calling him a loser. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:39

If you see it, say something. If you see a loser, you let them know. Oh my god. We should all try and flag down someone randomly and just be like, loser. Never.

SPEAKER_04 39:53

That would be sustle for the for a split moment. If you see someone super happy, fuck their shit up.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

Fuck it up for them. And on that note, yep.

SPEAKER_04 40:09

Thanks for sharing your story, Courtney.

SPEAKER_00 40:11

You're welcome. Thanks for listening to my story. And if you need a fact check, you can email us and I will give you facts. Probably look it up at the yeah, whatever give our information.

SPEAKER_04 40:21

Yeah, our email is that wasn't the plan pod at gmail.com. You can also reach us through our website at that wasn't the plan.com. We're also on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube where you can watch our episodes. Oh, that's right. The video in person. In the video.

SPEAKER_02 40:43

Uh-huh. You can watch your stories and you can watch us in the video.

SPEAKER_04 40:48

In the video. Boy, I certainly act and sound like I'm 80. No.

SPEAKER_02 40:55

We're gonna listen to some tunes and have some pop and some pizza.

SPEAKER_03 40:59

I've got my stories to go watch.

SPEAKER_02 41:02

Yeah. Oh, love you, Emily.

SPEAKER_03 41:04

Love you. Yeah, we'll talk to you later. Okay, bye. Bye.

SPEAKER_04 41:09

Thanks for listening to That Wasn't the Plan. If you found it helpful or at least mildly entertaining, a quick rating, review, and a click on the subscribe button would be lovely. And it genuinely helps us. And if a friend comes to mind, please share. Until next time. Bye.