TRANSCRIPT
Office Ladies | Episode 275.3 – Friday Chit Chat 8
Jenna [00:00:03] Hello!
Angela [00:00:03] Happy Friday!
Jenna [00:00:05] Happy Friday chit chat everyone, our first one of 2026.
Angela [00:00:09] Yeah!
Jenna [00:00:10] You know, we've been talking a lot on the pod about our resolutions, our shared resolution this year, Angela.
Angela [00:00:16] Yeah. We have a BFF shared resolution to get off the hamster wheel.
Jenna [00:00:19] Mm-hmm and to do one thing at a time, and I have another one.
Angela [00:00:23] What's that?
Jenna [00:00:23] I keep - They're all just, like, permutations of the same thing
Angela [00:00:26] Okay, mine was "let's get off the hamster wheel."
Jenna [00:00:29] Yes.
Angela [00:00:29] What are you bringing at me?
Jenna [00:00:30] I'm bringing "little fixes, little wins."
Angela [00:00:34] Ooooh, I like that.
Jenna [00:00:35] So, not coming in hot with giant goals and major plans. Little things, little adjustments, but that make things run smoother. I did this years ago, and I love it. OK, here's my Little Fix of the week. This is my example.
Angela [00:00:55] Okay.
Jenna [00:00:55] My hand towels, in my guest bathroom, have been dingy. For a while. I just haven't replaced them, because who has the time?
Angela [00:01:03] Who has the the time?
Jenna [00:01:04] And it's not a big deal, you know? But when we had our Christmas party at Christmas, I was like, "Oh, I got to put out the dingy hand towels again, because I never fixed that." So I fixed it.
Angela [00:01:16] You got new hand towels.
Jenna [00:01:17] I love them. That's the thing. They're just green striped towels. They're not a deal. But I like them. And I looked at the little tag, and then I found the website where I got them years ago. I ordered two new ones and they just arrived and they're making me very happy.
Angela [00:01:31] They're fresh towels.
Jenna [00:01:33] Fresh!
Angela [00:01:33] Fresh. But I did tell my family, "Guys, the fresh ones are for the guests. We're gonna keep using the dingy ones, but if someone comes over. Put the nice ones out."
Angela [00:01:43] I have one, a little fix for a big win. OK, you know the thing that holds the toilet paper, and you have to pull it back, and there's a spring? So whenever you have change your toilet paper you got to do the spring?
Jenna [00:01:59] Which feels like such a big effort, which is why people always just set it on top.
Angela [00:02:04] I don't know who made our springy thing, but when you pull it back the freaking thing springs out.
Jenna [00:02:10] Oh, yeah.
Angela [00:02:11] And then I'm on the ground. I'm getting the spiral thing. I'm putting it back in, I'm putting the thing back together.
Jenna [00:02:16] [laughing] Yes.
Angela [00:02:16] Then I've getting the toilet paper... So the other day it sprung out and it snapped my finger. It I don't even know how I did it. But it kind of hit - you know when you hit your fingernail at an angle that then it feels like a nail bed bruise?
Jenna [00:02:30] Where's the win in this story?
Angela [00:02:32] It's coming!
Jenna [00:02:33] OK.
Angela [00:02:34] But have you ever done this?
Jenna [00:02:35] Yes, of course.
Angela [00:02:35] Yeah, so then your fingernail hurts. I was like, "To hell with these things! I am done. Josh, there's got to be a better solution. There's got be a a better way." And he found that now, there are some toilet paper holders that are just a hook, and you just slide it on.
Jenna [00:02:55] Yeah.
Angela [00:02:56] He found one that has a little arm that goes where it just lifts up. You put the roll on and it just clicks back down. So guess who has those in all the bathrooms, minus one. We didn't count them up enough, but yeah, we've got them in almost every bathroom now.
Jenna [00:03:13] Wow.
Angela [00:03:14] I know. No more springy thing. I'm done with the springy thing.
Jenna [00:03:17] Gosh, that is big win. Little fix, big win.
Angela [00:03:19] I can't tell you how much happier I am. Yes, now we're out of toilet paper. I'm like, "I don't have to deal with the spring anymore."
Jenna [00:03:27] Amazing. Well done. So I want to look for these little things and the effort that it took, it was minimal.
Angela [00:03:33] It was minimal.
Jenna [00:03:33] That's all I got. I got minimal effort to make little fixes.
Angela [00:03:37] Josh found them at the hardware store. We just unscrewed the other ones, put the other ones in.
Jenna [00:03:41] I love it. Alright, well listen, for this Friday chit chat, we are going to you all. We've got a chit-chat suggestion from Freya in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. What is Freya gonna ask us? I don't know. Well, let's hear it.
Angela [00:03:53] Let's hear it.
Freya [00:03:56] Hi Office Ladies, my name is Freya, and I am from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. And I love your podcast. I listen to it every day when I visit my patients. I'm a home health nurse, so I drive a lot. My question is, what is your ideal date, or an ideal romantic date, with your significant others? Cassi and Sam, please answer this as well. Thank you, I love you guys, bye.
Jenna [00:04:33] Yes. OK. I remember this. I remember choosing this one and I had said something at dinner. I said, "Oh, I'm going to be sharing, on the podcast, what my ideal date is with my significant other."
Angela [00:04:46] I did the same with Josh. Because I was like, "You have to be part of this answer."
Jenna [00:04:50] Well, it's funny. My daughter piped up, and she said, "I know what it is."
Angela [00:04:54] Oh yeah?
Jenna [00:04:55] Movie Monday.
Angela [00:04:56] Oh, you do. You guys love to go to a movie together. You do a little matinee thing.
Jenna [00:05:00] We do a matinee movie Monday. This was a thing we started a few months ago, and we love it. We go during the day. I mean listen, we both work from home primarily. So we have that kind of flexibility.
Angela [00:05:14] Sure.
Jenna [00:05:14] But the kids are at school, so we don't have to get a sitter right and we carve out a couple hours on a Monday. Maybe we'll go to lunch and then see the movie or maybe we will see the movie and then the kids will meet us up at the mall, where we see movies, for dinner. We'll have dinner in the food court, and it's fun. They're getting used to it, they're like, "Oh, dinner in the food court on Monday because mom and dad did movie Monday."
Angela [00:05:36] I love a food court.
Jenna [00:05:38] Well because everybody can get what they want.
Angela [00:05:40] Everyone wins. Everyone gets what they want.
Jenna [00:05:40] Exactly.
Angela [00:05:42] OK, well, I was actually talking to Josh at breakfast about this. I was like, "We're going to do this question about an ideal date." And he was like, "Well, we know what that is." And we just... We do. So here it is. This is in an ideal world, where we have maybe a weekend away. You know, this is our favorite thing. We love where we get up in the morning and we go for a hike, or some kind of nature walk. Like, some big hike.
Jenna [00:06:10] But you're out in the fresh air.
Angela [00:06:12] We're out in nature. It's somewhere where there's lots of green and trees and maybe some water. Get out there, right? And then we would then stop off some little spot local for lunch, and just kind of explore whatever little town we found. Then it's an afternoon in the hotel. Because nobody's tired, you're not too full. Then maybe it's just picking some random movie and being cozy and watching a movie.
Jenna [00:06:46] Mm-hmm.
Angela [00:06:46] And then lights out by nine o'clock.
Jenna [00:06:49] I mean, that sounds amazing as well. I think the thing I love about our little movie Mondays is they make me feel kind of like we're back in our young dating lives again. Because, you know,
Angela [00:07:02] You're going to the movie, yeah.
Jenna [00:07:04] I mean we did that all the time. We're such movie buffs and we love to talk about the characters and the plot afterwards. But also, I don't know... Being out in the day like that. It just feels young and spontaneous and special. Clearly, it's working for us because our daughter was like, "You guys love your movie Mondays." And we do.
Angela [00:07:25] I think that's great. And when we can't get out of town, we just try to go for a walk. Just a neighborhood walk makes me happy. We talk and he is so patient. He stops while I take a picture of a flower that I... It could be the same patch of flowers I walk past all the time, but I'm like, "Oh, that one's blooming. I should take a picture of it."
Jenna [00:07:44] Can I say something else I love doing with Lee?
Angela [00:07:47] What?
Jenna [00:07:47] That I consider this, sometimes, as like a date. I love going grocery shopping with him.
Angela [00:07:53] Oh yeah.
Jenna [00:07:54] Cause we used to do that - Again, before we had kids, before we got so busy, you know? Now we have to divide and conquer. If somebody's grocery shopping, the other person's doing laundry. We can't do that together, but oh my gosh, every once in a while, I love to do like those.
Angela [00:08:10] Errand Day. Yes, I get very excited.
Jenna [00:08:12] Errand Day.
Angela [00:08:13] Listen, we're gonna drop some things off at the cleaners, then we're going to stop by and maybe finally get that rain gage I've been wanting.
Jenna [00:08:21] Sometimes our married dating is doing chores together, or errands together, but we're in the car alone. Then we go grocery shop and then we come home and make a meal together. Those moments, I love that.
Angela [00:08:34] Yeah, me too.
Jenna [00:08:35] Cause usually at this time with the kids, the age they are, everybody's always going in different directions and everything. So, to do something together, I love.
Angela [00:08:43] I love it. My mom will say, I'll tell her about our day. She'll be like, "Y'all are so busy." Cause we have kids doing all these different activities.
Jenna [00:08:52] This is the busy time.
Angela [00:08:53] It's the busy time.
Jenna [00:08:54] Alright. Well, Sam, Cassi, are you willing to share?
Sam [00:08:58] I'm a big fan of just wasting time with the other person. On New Year's Day, my girlfriend, Stephanie, was in town and we watched all three Lord of the Rings, extended versions. It took 12 hours, I think, back to back.
Jenna [00:09:11] That's amazing.
Angela [00:09:11] That's the best!
Jenna [00:09:12] We fell asleep during it. We paused it and got up and went for walks. It took 12 (or 20 hours) to watch 11 hours of movies. But it was great. It was just nowhere to be, no set schedule, just spending time with someone you love.
Angela & Jenna, in unison [00:09:25] That's wonderful.
Angela [00:09:27] Jinx. Oh my gosh. Cassi?
Cassi [00:09:29] Yeah. I really related to both of you guys talking about movies and, uh, afternoon stuff and all that. Um, but yeah. I think my ideal date, like, we love to get up early in the morning and go check out a new coffee spot. The LA river is really nice cause they have those coffee shops that are always popping up and you can walk up and down the river. Then later in the evening, we'd love to see an LA sparks game, get good seats and then pick up Taco Bell on the way home.
Sam [00:09:57] And still be in bed by nine.
Cassi [00:09:58] [laughing] Magically, yes.
Angela [00:10:00] Maybe, maybe, maybe. Or by 11, yeah.
Jenna [00:10:03] Taco Bell?
Cassi [00:10:02] Yeah, yeah, we're all going to bed early
Angela [00:10:05] We're all going to bed early. Taco Bell on the way home. I mean, that brings me back. What is your order at Taco Bell?
Cassi [00:10:12] My favorite item is called the "cheesy bean and rice burritos."
Jenna [00:10:15] They're so good.
Cassi [00:10:16] They're so good and they're only, like, a dollar.
Angela [00:10:18] Yeah.
Cassi [00:10:18] It's awesome.
Angela [00:10:20] Oh my god, I love that. Oh, that question made me so happy. Thank you, Freya. Alright, well, our next Friday Chit Chat comes from Peter R. in Chandler, Arizona. And here's what he has to say.
Peter R. [00:10:32] Hey Office Ladies, this is Peter from Chandler, Arizona. I was calling to see how you guys felt about people that don't put their shopping carts back where they belong. I wanna know if you guys lean on the side of, "Hey, let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they were in a rush," or maybe do you guys feel like we should shun them socially, of some way? I don't know how that would happen, but... Or is it something that doesn't even matter because you're putting quarters in your shopping cart, so you don't have to worry about that? I myself go to one specific grocery store over another because one of those grocery stores, they have shopping carts all over the parking lot. So I specifically choose not to go there because I just don't want to have to park 20 parking spots away from the front door, because I know the first 10 spots are just gonna be filled with shopping carts. No cars, just shopping carts. Alright, thank you.
Jenna [00:11:30] Well, you know, this is a very loaded question.
Angela [00:11:34] Yeah.
Jenna [00:11:35] There are whole threads about this question. I guess there's a whole ethical thing. This is in Mike Schur's book. Remember his book?
Angela [00:11:48] Yeah.
Jenna [00:11:48] It's "How to Be Perfect: the correct answer to every moral question." Mike talked about this. This is a litmus test.
Angela [00:11:55] Oh.
Jenna [00:11:55] I looked it up, just now. Because I wanted to get it right.
Angela [00:11:58] What'd you find?
Jenna [00:11:59] And it says, in a nutshell, that the shopping cart theory of morality states that an individual's capacity to self-govern depends on whether or not they are the type to return a shopping cart or leave it next to their car, or elsewhere.
Angela [00:12:15] I always return it. I return my shopping cart.
Jenna [00:12:17] Same.
Angela [00:12:17] Also, I think - Let's address how you return it to the little cart caddy thing. Do you just kind of slam it towards it so it bounces off the side and doesn't really go in?
Jenna [00:12:28] Like, you've done it, but you've done it half-assed, as my dad would say. Don't half-ass.
Angela [00:12:33] That's something I say to the kids all the time. It's like, "Yeah, you unload the groceries and the apples are in the little baggie. Go the extra mile. Finish it."
Jenna [00:12:44] Oh, Lady, you know that's our thing.
Angela [00:12:45] That's our thing.
Sam [00:12:47] Are either of you familiar with the Instagram account @Cartnarcs?
Angela [00:12:50] No! What is this, Sam?
Sam [00:12:52] It has 1.2 million followers. It's C-A-R-T-N-A R-C-S. It's a guy who's a fictional parking lot enforcement. He doesn't work for the company.
Angela [00:13:02] Is he the Dwight Schrute of parking lots?
Sam [00:13:04] \Yes, he goes around shaming people who don't put their cars away.
Angela [00:13:06] [laughing] The deputy sheriff.
Sam [00:13:07] And he has magnets made that he sticks to your car. He has a bag, and when people get out of their car angrily and throw them off, he just throws two more on. It's great.
Angela [00:13:14] Oh, my God, I'm looking this up right now.
Jenna [00:13:17] Cassi, Sam, do you return your shopping cart?
Sam [00:13:18] Every time.
Cassi [00:13:20] Oh, yeah. I get really mad if someone doesn't do that.
Angela [00:13:23] Yeah, you know what, because you're civilized. You're civilized. Now, I'm not gonna get hostile or aggressive, but I am gonna shoot you a side eye snark look.
Jenna [00:13:39] But let me ask you this question. So I feel like the shopping centers, they used to have a lot of cart returns. I'm noticing, I just went grocery shopping recently, there were none. Like, they're getting rid of them, to make more parking maybe? So in order to return your shopping cart, you have to walk it all the way back up to the entrance of the store. And I wonder, am I obligated to walk it back up to the store if you've removed all the cart returns? Like, you've made it more inconvenient for me to do it.
Angela [00:14:14] I think you are.
Jenna [00:14:16] You're still obligated?
Angela [00:14:17] Get your steps in and turn in your cart.
Cassi [00:14:21] Yeah, it also sounds like in that scenario, they probably don't have the labor to have somebody go out and check every 30 minutes and bring cards back in.
Jenna [00:14:30] So you think it was like, they did layoffs. So it's not that they were trying to make more parking spaces, but they were actually like, "I don't want to hire someone to collect them, so I'm gonna get people to put them up at the entrance for me?"
Cassi [00:14:42] Yeah.
Jenna [00:14:43] I mean that pisses me off, actually.
Cassi [00:14:45] Yeah, me too.
Jenna [00:14:46] That annoys me.
Sam [00:14:46] Yeah, that's up there with the self-checkout for me. I don't work here.
Angela [00:14:50] Oh, I don't mind the self checkout. I get really excited.
Sam [00:14:53] You stealing?
Angela [00:14:54] No, what are you talking about?
Sam [00:14:55] You should be.
Angela [00:14:56] No, I love the sound. It's very satisfying. Like, the beep.
Jenna [00:15:00] It takes me back to being a kid. Like, when you were a kid, didn't you want nothing more than to do the little boop boop gun?
Angela [00:15:07] Oh my gosh. I remember I was so excited when Isabel was little. I got her one of those little mini kitchens, you know? She was so exited. We would just spend Saturday morning cooking stuff. Then we made a whole grocery store. Me and Isabel and Cade, one day, spent all day making a fake grocery store. We made aisles... Because we had gotten a Fisher Price little mini register that had the little scanner.
Jenna [00:15:32] Yes, it's so fun to scan it.
Angela [00:15:34] We made Josh and Jack come and shop at our grocery store. It was so fun.
Jenna [00:15:38] We do an elaborate diner with a little register. And our little register has a microphone. I don't know why we need that in our diner, but yeah, same.
Angela [00:15:49] I love that. Yeah. So anyway, I love a self-checkout, Sam. I'll work for you, OK? If you and I go to the grocery store together, I will do your self- checkout.
Sam [00:15:58] Sure.
Jenna [00:15:59] But I think ultimately,
Angela [00:16:02] To answer Peter's question, we think you should return the shopping cart.
Jenna [00:16:05] We think you should return the shopping cart. By the way, because this reminded me of Mike Schur's book, I looked up some of the other moral questions that he goes through in his book. They're so good. Here's some of them. "Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people?"
Angela [00:16:22] Oh.
Jenna [00:16:23] "Why bother being good at all when there are no consequences for being bad?" "Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?"
Angela [00:16:30] [laughing] What?
Jenna [00:16:31] He says, in parentheses, "No."
Angela [00:16:35] I mean, I guess you just have to say, "What is my moral compass?"
Jenna [00:16:39] Yes, but in his book, he provides you an answer to all of these questions based on his in-depth study of ancient philosophers and human behavior. Yes, and he's so smart. I loved this book. It was very funny as well, so this is reminding me of his book. So I'm giving it a plug.
Angela [00:16:56] Ah, well there you go. Those are two of our chit chats. Thank you so much to Freya and Peter for writing in and sending us your audio clips. I really enjoyed those conversations.
Jenna [00:17:07] Yes. Now listen, before we go, we've got some Office Ladies news and it's some pretty big Office Ladies' news.
Angela [00:17:14] We do. It's bittersweet Office Ladies News, because our beloved producer, Cassi, is moving on. Cassi you've meant so much to us, but this is also an exciting time for you. Today is actually her last day in the studio here. We have a few more work days, but this her last date in the studio with us.
Jenna [00:17:36] Yes.
Angela [00:17:37] And I guess the day you all are hearing this is actually the last day, the way the episode's going to come out. But gosh, Cassi, we just love you so much.
Cassi [00:17:45] Ah, thanks guys. It's been an absolute pleasure working with you and Sam for the past five years, and we've had a lot of adventures. So I'm very honored to share this chapter with you all.
Jenna [00:17:58] I don't know if people know, but you started as our transcriber, way back in our Earwolf days and you moved to being our producer. I went back to our digital clutter, Cassi, and you started as our producer in November of 2020.
Cassi [00:18:14] Wow.
Jenna [00:18:14] That's a long time, but you're ready for some new adventures.
Cassi [00:18:17] Yeah, yeah, it's just time to be challenged in a different way.
Angela [00:18:20] Yeah, well your Office Ladies family is always gonna be here for you. I really hope that you pop up and say, "Ladies I got a chit chat that we need to discuss."
Cassi [00:18:30] I'm sure I will.
Angela [00:18:32] And we'll just be always here for you, Cassi. Your Office Ladies, family forever. And we have a few little things for you we're gonna give to you, after we say goodbye here. But really, thank you so much for everything you've done. There's so much of your job that is behind the scenes. You just showed up for us so many times, time and time again. So we wish you all the best.
Cassi [00:18:57] Thank you so much.
Jenna [00:18:57] Getting a little emotional here.
Angela [00:18:59] I know.
Jenna [00:19:00] It's gonna be weird not to have your face in the booth, moving forward.
Angela [00:19:05] Sam, no pressure.
Cassi [00:19:06] Yeah. Good luck, Sam.
Sam [00:19:08] I know.
Jenna [00:19:10] Uh, well, the second part of this news is that we've got a new face and a new producer and we're excited to introduce you to our new senior podcast producer, Matt Beagle.
Angela [00:19:20] Matt, say hi.
Matt [00:19:21] Hey, Office Ladies!
Jenna [00:19:22] Yay! Matt, you've been training with Cassi for the last couple of weeks, and you're about to take over. How do you feel? Are you ready?
Matt [00:19:32] Uh... No. I'm just kidding. i'm i'm ready to go. I'm and thrilled to be here. Really big shoes to fill. Cassi's been amazing getting me up to speed and i'm so happy to be here. I can't wait to meet and chat with and hear from Office Ladies listeners and ready to go!
Angela [00:19:49] Yay! Well, 2026, some really fun new beginnings for all of us. And we love you guys, Office Ladies listeners. The family and support you've been to us all these years is so meaningful to us. Thank you.
Jenna [00:20:04] Alright, happy Friday chit chat everybody, we'll see you next week!
[00:20:07] That's right.
audio cue [00:20:07] [outro music plays]
Jenna [00:20:13] Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.
Angela [00:20:15] Office Ladies is a presentation of Audacy and is produced by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:20:22] Our executive is Cassi Jerkins, our audio engineer is Sam Kieffer, and our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico.
Angela [00:20:29] Audacy's executive producer is Leah Reis-Dennis.
Jenna [00:20:31] Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.
Angela [00:20:35] This song is "Rubber Tree" by Creed Bratton.