OLP 020: The Kayt Forbes Fan Club – Transcript

Audio: https://orlearnparkour.buzzsprout.com/1221356/8884000-olp-020-the-kayt-forbes-fan-club

Introduction (00:00:00):

[Intro audio: “There is a Dark Place,” by Tom Rosenthal]

Jordan:

Hi, I’m Jordan.

Lex:

And I’m Lex

Kayt: 

And I’m Kayt. 

Jordan:

And this is an episode of Or, Learn Parkour with a very special guest. 

Kayt:

Aww, thank you.

Lex:

Hello.

Kayt:

Hi.

Lex:

Welcome.

Kayt:

A long time listener, big fan of you both. 

Jordan:

Well, I’ve been a big fan of you for, how long now?

Kayt:

For, like, the few seconds that we, we just met.

Jordan:

Yeah, I was wild. I was just, like, walking on the street outside and I saw this incredible babe and I was like, the neurodivergent energy in the sheer babe power was overwhelming and I fell over. Actually, I was so overwhelmed. 

Kayt:

I was so worried. I brushed her and I was like, are you okay? And our eyes met and then, connection made. 

Jordan:

I know, it was really beautiful. 

Lex:

And then you hopped on a Zoom with me to tell me about your new-found love and, so we could record an episode of the podcast that we allegedly do have. 

Jordan:

So this is my roommate, by the way, let me introduce you to [inaudible] you have never met or heard of [inaudible]

Lex:

Definitely have never met. Definitely don’t know that y’all are childhood friends at all. That’s not the case. 

Jordan:

I had no idea that you are a wildly talented artist.

Kayt:

It’s just, it was all through that connection. That first eye connection.

Lex:

No thoughts, no speech, just vibes. [Inaudible]

Kayt (00:01:55):

No, Jordan and I have known each other since we were four years old and that is a bond. Oh my God. 

Jordan:

You were my first friend, when I moved to Washington.

Kayt:

Yeah. You were probably just my first friend ever. 

Jordan:

I mean, to be fair all of my friends before I moved to Washington were cats. So you’re my first human friend. 

Kayt:

Yay! What a privilege. Oh my gosh.

Jordan:

And also for context for this podcast, this is Kaytlin Forbes. She is an incredibly talented artist and animator. You might have seen her around the Twitter-sphere doing kick-ass things. And do you want to talk a little bit about your art and why you’re on the podcast today? 

Kayt:

Yeah, sure. So I am going to school currently for an animation degree, but I’ve just always been on social media, just posting, whatever, fan art. I can have literally anything to get myself just a little bit, just a little foot in the door. Really just, passionate animator, graphic designer, character designer, illustrator, just really anything. I just love making art. And I’m on here today, not to talk about ADHD because I don’t have ADHD, but I have something else.

Lex:

What? Get out, stop, what? Hello!

Jordan (00:03:06):

No, it’s okay. We’re like brainworm cousins.

Kayt:

Yeah, very close. It’s still a learning disability of sorts, dyslexia and dyscalculia, but mostly dyslexia. 

Lex:

Ohh, okay, cool. You can stay. 

Jordan:

I was going to say after, after what? 24 years at this point. No, God, that would make us, like, 28. After 22 years. 

Kayt:

Don’t age us too much now. 

Lex:

Oh, also additional context. So, just so people don’t think that I’m just being, like, mean. I have met Kaytlin. We are also friends. I’m just, I’m just still in Chicago and they get to go have fun in Washington. So we have a little Zoom call going, but I just wanted to add a little bit of context because I know that Kayt is dyslexic and doesn’t have ADHD. I just really need everyone to understand that was for a bit. Hey, Hey, audience. Hey, friends. That was for a bit. Okay. 

Jordan:

Joke words for the podcast. 

Kayt:

I love her so much. You’re so great. No, we are friends, so it’s-

Lex:

Yeah. Yeah. Welcome. Glad to have ya. Sorry. I just wanted to pop in and say that also before we got too deep into everything. ‘Cause I was like-

Kayt:

No, that was- maybe I do have ADHD, I completely forgot. No, just, yeah, that a big part of why I’m into art is because I am dyslexic and I have dyscalculia and it just makes it difficult to do other things. But art, art was my niche. I don’t have to read, I don’t have to do math. I can just vibe on art and yeah.

Jordan:

It’s amazing. And you vibe so well. For folks tuning in who are not familiar with dyslexia and dyscalculia, can you give us, like, a real quick like slip and slide run of what those mean? 

Kayt:

Yeah. So dyslexia is basically, you are impaired. You have, hmm, how’s a good way to explain this, reading comprehension, writing comprehension, you’re impaired basically. So when you read a sentence, sometimes words get switched or letters get switched and your eyes will see a word, but there are wires crossed in your brain that will make it so that your brain sees something different. And then you’ll either say it or you write it out differently. So that makes reading very hard and writing very hard. And then dyscalculia is basically dyslexia with math, which means a basic math comprehension, you just don’t get. So addition and subtraction off the top of your head- super difficult. So, man, I just, my wires are super crossed. I had no chance. Just it’s, it’s just a little, little harder for me than most to read, to do math, but-

Jordan:

It’s a good thing math is not a useful skill.

Kayt:

It’s not really. I mean, that’s what fingers are for. What do I need [inaudible] in my head? 

Lex:

Oh, wait, is math the thing that you sometimes need in D&D? Is it that, is that math? 

Jordan:

I guess you do have to do math sometimes, but again, that’s dice rolls. I guess you have to know numbers at least. But you only need to know up to 20.

Kayt (00:06:23):

Up to 20, yeah. Well, unless you got big powerful hit points. 

Lex:

If you got some good buffs in there, like-

Kayt:

[Inaudible] Math, I guess is helpful, but otherwise, no, totally not in my wheelhouse. 

Jordan:

We’ll just break out the math for special occasions.

Kayt:

Honestly, I only play D&D for the role-play anyways. 

Jordan::

Yeah. That’s fair. 

Lex:

Pretty valid. 

Kayt:

Pretty bard is basically-

Lex:

Yeah. That’s the life.

Kayt:

Basically, what I have, dyslexia and dyscalculia, just impaired, basic reading, writing and math comprehension skills. 

Jordan:

All right. That was a very nice overview. 

Kayt:

Sorry. Was that not slippery?

Jordan (00:07:08):

No, no. For once in my life, I was being genuine. That was a very clear and illuminating description of your experience. So thank you. 

Lex:

Oh my gosh. Ned, now is not the time to head butt my laptop. Oh my god. Sir, sir. 

Kayt:

Hello, sir. 

Jordan:

I miss him so much. 

Lex:

You can, like, be in camera. You cannot be near the laptop. No. Okay. Apparently that means just, like- 

Kayt:

Butthole! There’s a butthole.

Lex:

Start making biscuits. Sorry. Sorry. I just, all of a sudden, like, it was like [inaudible]

Jordan:

So do you want to tell us a little bit about what you are studying right now? Because you’re going to school for animation?

Kayt:

Animation. That is my major. So I’m hoping to get some kind of minor in either character design or storyboarding. That’s what I want to go into, is become a storyboard animator, which is basically the roughs of animation. So every movie you see, there is a prototype which basically tells animators how to animate this scene because storyboard artists get to, what the write- the script, basically what the writers say, like, okay, this happens, but then storyboard artists have to create that then. And so they’re the ones that basically make it before they give it to the big honchos to really buff out those skills and animate it so it all looks nice. But I want to be the creative person that doesn’t do so much of the hard work, but gets to have, also a hand in creating what you see on those screens. 

Jordan:

Yeah. You kind of draw the cinema topography. 

Kayt:

Yeah. Good five-dollar word there. That’s good. 

Jordan:

It was two words.

Kayt:

That’s dyslexia. That’s all one word. That’s how that fit into the brain, but still.

Jordan:

If it made sense you’re doing better than most people who have to listen to me talk.

Kayt:

No, I love the way you talk, that’s how we work.

Jordan (00:08:59):

That’s why we’ve been friends for so long. Twenty-two years.

Kayt:

Sorry, I need to hydrate because it is a little warm. 

Jordan:

It is not as warm as it is-

Kayt:

In Portland, where I live, which is, it’s hot. It’s a toasty boy over there. And I have no AC because my apartment does not, like, apparently. So no AC.

Jordan:

Okay. That’s disrespectful. 

Kayt:

That gives me an excuse to visit you, who has AC, right? 

Jordan:

Yes. Yeah. We are currently in Eastern Washington where it’s always hot. So the one benefit of it is that we have AC.

Lex:

The West side definitely fail. They’re, like, we have, like, maybe three days of really unbearably hot weather a year. We don’t need AC. And then each year climate change is like, are you sure? Are you sure? And then the Pacific Northwest is like, no, it’s fine. 

Jordan:

The trees are our air conditioning. 

Lex:

Yeah. It’s, the cool ocean breeze is hitting all the way past I-5. It’s great.

Kayt (00:10:04):

Which makes no sense. ‘Cause there’s a whole mountain range that, like, coast from, like, inward, Washington, Oregon, California. So it’s like, we don’t, that ocean breeze. No, no, no. Portland is, like, right there on that mountain. And it’s like, you can’t feel anything. The contractors, oh boy, want to save any cent they can, so. Sorry, this wasn’t supposed to be a very bitter, about where I live.

Jordan:

It’s a ‘whatever you want it to be’ episode. This is your episode. 

Kayt:

That’s so sweet. Definitely don’t want it to be so bitter. My mother will listen to this and she’ll be like, okay, you can stop complaining now. 

Jordan:

Hi, Kayt’s mom. 

Kayt:

Hi mom. 

Lex:

Hello. I feel like I’m just sort of lag, like I am a human lag right now. I’m like, huh? Oh yeah. Yeah.

Jordan:

No, you’re, you’re doing great. We have probably too much concentrated power for this room.

Kayt:

It is. It’s a lot. Two incredible babes, just in this little tiny room. It’s powerful. It’s potent. You can almost-

Lex:

It’s a lot to behold, even over zoom, you know? So I can only imagine what’s happening in person.

Jordan:

I can’t smell anything, but I’m sure it’s very potent and fragrant. 

Kayt:

Yeah, I can. It’s a smell you can feel with the heart.

Jordan:

Oh, those good old heart smells.

Lex:

Classic heart scent. [Laughter] They’re just imitating our cats. That’s how our cats smell things. Mouths open like weird little snakes. 

Kayt:

You can’t smell when you breathe through your mouth. 

Jordan:

You can breathe, you can smell with your heart when you breathe through your mouth. 

Kayt:

There we go. That’s how that works. Okay. I’m just going to be giggling this entire time. 

Jordan:

That’s okay. It’s wonderful. You have a delightful laugh and it sustains me. 

Kayt:

There’s gonna be a lot of it. You, you make me giggle. 

Lex (00:12:00):

Y’all are so cute. I feel like I’m watching a TV show. ‘Cause it’s just me. And I’m just sorta, like, watching y’all just, like, chilling and I’m like, oh yeah, I have, I have to contribute. I am a co host.

Jordan:

You’re doing amazing. You’re holding down the fort. 

Lex:

That’s not normally my role.

Jordan:

[Inaudible] us literally looking at each other, laughing and not have any words. 

Lex:

Yeah. But, like, as bad audio as that is, I wouldn’t want to take that away from y’all. You know what I mean? So on the note of podcasts though. 

Jordan:

Oh yeah. 

Kayt:

Right. That thing that I’m a guest on. Okay.

Lex:

Yeah. So you, you were talking a little bit about how your dyslexia and dyscalculia- dyscalculia-

Kayt:

Yeah. It’s a word 

Lex:

How they affected your choice to kind of, like, just vibe and lean into art, but, like, how, if at all, do having those affect your process and your art and the way that you interact with other art and artists? 

Kayt:

Oh, that’s a good question. 

Lex:

I would say thank you, but Jordan wrote them.

Jordan:

We collabed.

Kayt (00:13:04):

There we go. You read it out so so well.

Jordan:

Team effort. 

Lex:

Thank you. 

Kayt:

Gosh. To be fair, I don’t know a whole lot of other artists that are, that have dyslexia. I don’t know a whole lot of people that have dyslexia weirdly enough, not in my circle. I just know it affected me just because with my growing up with dyslexia and dyscalculia school was super hard and that whole school environment- very, very hard. And there was sort of like a toxic mentality behind that, where I grew up thinking I was stupid because there wasn’t any- I didn’t go to schools that really had the, had the tools to help me with it, saying, oh, she has dyslexia. It was either I have special needs, which I didn’t, but I went to classes for it. Or I’m an idiot, which is where teachers led to. And so I grew up with this mentality that, okay, I’m an idiot, there’s no choice. And there wasn’t, like, a why. It was just when you’re ten years old and every single teacher pretty much treats you like you’re an idiot, that’s your world you grow up in. That’s your truth. And so I didn’t question it ever. And so as an outlet, I found that art was where I could escape to. Mostly I got it from watching TV and seeing creators [inaudible] and tell stories. And I fell in love with that. I grew enamored. I was like, this is something amazing. And I don’t have to read anything because I’m just watching these characters, like, struggle and go through relationships. And I’m like, I love this. I love this world that they’ve created and weaved and brought me into. And so I was like, I want to do that. And I found I could do that because it didn’t require any reading. I didn’t have to spell anything. I could draw characters and make these own little worlds and tell these stories without any words, which was so, so powerful for a ten-year-old, like, oh my gosh, like, the power and confidence that gave me. Blew my world open. And so I fell into art and I was like, this is something I can be good at because I wasn’t going to be good at sports. I’m not an athletic kid. And I wasn’t going to have good grades. And I was like, there’s nothing I can be good at. There was nothing I could brag about. And there’s nothing my parents could really brag about. I love my parents to death and they are very supportive of me and really defended me so much because, uh, not to go into so much of it, but, like, teachers may not have told me I was stupid. They certainly acted that way around me. But they told my parents. In second grade, there was this one teacher who basically-

Lex:

Hey, hey, I’m gonna, I’m gonna go commit some murders really quick. I’ll be right back. 

Jordan:

Yeah. We’ll see you here. Bring the bats.

Kayt:

That teacher’s still alive after my dad got through with her. But basically during a parent teacher conference said, hey, don’t expect Kaytlin to ever graduate high school. It’s not going to happen. And it wasn’t like, your kid has a disability.

Lex:

I’m sorry, you were in second grade?

Kayt:

I was in second grade. 

Lex:

That’s a ten year long, like, prediction. 

Kayt:

Yeah. Well that’s how bad it kind of was, just how much I struggled with it. And I didn’t have any help really to, like, teacher’s help. Your kid’s an idiot basically. And it wasn’t like, oh, your kid has a disability. It’s going to be very hard for them to graduate school. Which is, that was what it was. It’s- your kid’s a moron, there’s no hope for her. And my parents immediately, they took me out of the school and they were like, how dare you? So my parents have really been, like, at my bat. But, so growing up, it was like, my parents were supportive of me. They know I’m not an idiot. They grew up with me. 

Jordan:

Yeah, you’re not.

Kayt:

No, it’s just, I can’t spell very well and reading’s hard for me and math, just, I can’t do it very quickly. I have to have a paper and pen.

Lex:

 Or a calculator. Calculators are so nice.

Kayt:

All those things that we all have on our phones. 

Lex:

Yeah. Yeah. I always open that instead of my alarm. Hashtag relatable content. Am I right? 

Jordan:

Sadly, you are.

Kayt:

Has anyone ever done that thing where you go to, like, hit snooze or set an alarm and you just type the number into your calculator and then don’t wake up. 

Lex:

No, absolutely not.

Kayt (00:17:08):

Yeah, so I wanted to do something my parents could be proud of and art- and I was actually thinking about this on the drive here. The first time I ever felt proud of my art, and the first time my mom ever, like, really bragged about it was when she was working through your aunt, Janet. And she was like, Kaytlin show Janet your art. And I was like, okay. And for, like, a ten-year-old that’s amazing. It wasn’t great, it was, like, a ten-year-old’s drawing, 

Jordan:

But that was good for a ten-year-old. So, like, I remember your art and I was like, Kaytlin is the fre- you know, the friend who can draw.

Lex:

Only, there’s only ever, like, one or two. 

Kayt:

[Inaudible] those books from the library, like, how to draw anime style. 

Jordan:

No shame that everyone starts somewhere. 

Kayt:

Honestly. Yeah. I got my start from, like, Naruto. So, like, it’s fine.

Lex (00:18:00):

But can you go back to Naruto at some point? Can we revisit that together? 

Kayt:

Yeah, absolutely. I definitely, yeah. I would read the manga and I would copy the style. 

Lex:

Amazing. Yeah. I just really wanted to be Sasuke when I was in middle school. 

Kayt:

That’s so valid.

Lex:

Thanks.

Kayt:

Yeah. I didn’t want to be- 

Lex:

Sorry. What a, what a great yes and on my part, that’s so valid, thanks. It’s really good podcasting. You can tell that we have not done this in a hot minute. 

Kayt:

That’s okay. We’re, we’re rolling into it, but yeah, that was, uh, you know, that didn’t answer the question about it, but-. 

Lex:

It doesn’t have to, do you feel like you shared your truth? [Inaudible]

Kayt:

So there we go. Well, that was part of my journey and finding that confidence to do art. And I was like, cool, this is something I can do. This is something I’m proud of. And if all else fails, I’ll at least have this. And then I started, so I started drawing. I started drawing and I haven’t stopped since. I kept drawing. And now I’m at a point where I’m increasingly, like, I’m super confident in my art. And I’m like, I actually am happy to say I’m good.

Lex:

Yeah, you should be. 

Kayt (00:19:13):

Well, thank you. But it took me a long time to get there because I also used it as an excuse. I didn’t want to fall back on, like, the only thing that I’m good at is art. And I also, for a long time, didn’t want to use the excuse of, oh, I have dyslexia. That’s why I can’t do these things, because there was that mentality that I’m an idiot that I grew up with. So when it was first introduced to me that I could have dyslexia, I was like, no, I can’t. Like, that’s an excuse. I don’t want to use an excuse to justify why I can’t do this thing. When it wasn’t an excuse. It was the reason why. And it was a couple of hurdles to get there. But-

Lex:

I hate when you give an explanation that’s completely logical and reasonable and people are like, well, don’t make excuses. And I’m like, it’s- do you know? Do you know? Like, what do you want for me? Do you want me to just say that I- like, what do you want? An explanation? Like, it’s what it is. 

Jordan:

Yeah. There’s a lot of overlap there I think in the way people respond to ADHD as well. 

Kayt:

Exactly. But it’s like, no, it’s a brain chemistry. I can’t help what my brain does. But then there was that, that block that was like, nope, that’s an excuse, you should be able to do what every other person is able to do. So that’s the world I grew up in. I went to a private Catholic school, which is- it’s not a public school. It’s not a school you have to go to. It’s a school you pay to go to, you pay a lot of money to go to. And so the school is for excellent kids. ‘Cause they’re teaching their kids how to go above and beyond. So they expect, already, above average kids. I’m not an above average kid. I was barely-

Lex:

Shut- shut your mouth. 

Kayt:

Okay, as far as school subjects go, I was scraping to get by because I could not learn the way they could teach. That was just not how I learned. And so my mom put me in that school, bless her to protect me from public school. ‘Cause she knew I was, I’m still a soft kid, but I was a very soft kid growing up. I was sensitive. So she knew I was going to get bullied at a public school. I was always bullied by teachers, but she knew I definitely would get bullied by kids because teachers would bully me. And so kids would be like, well, if the teacher can do it, we can do it. And so my mom was terrified of that. ‘Cause you know, I also got bullied at a public school, but, like, that was more for just being dumb than for my personality, which- 

Jordan:

I’m going to go hit so many people after this.

Lex:

I’m gonna go get like some Florence Pugh, mouth going, you know, like a little frown and I’m going to scream so much at those people.

Kayt (00:21:42):

No, it’s, it’s a good, I mean I wish I didn’t go through it but it’s made me stronger and I don’t want this to be like a negative turn, like, no, I’m doing great now. I have friends that love me and it’s fine. And now I know. And I have ways to, like, go about dealing with my dyslexia and my dyscalculia and make me a functioning human being in society. ‘Cause, like ADHD, there’s no cure. There’s medication you can take to kind of just stabilize it a little bit. There’s nothing like that for dyslexia. You just have it. So you have to teach yourself how to do things to make it- it’s different for everyone. Everyone has different ways to read well or learn subjects. So I had to teach myself what worked for me, which was a learning process in itself because no one else could teach me that. And it took a long time for me to realize, oh, no one’s going to teach me this. I have to teach me this because I want to be a functioning adult. So let’s do it. 

Jordan:

So what was that journey like, I guess, have you talked about it a little bit of kind of first hearing about dyslexia and being like, oh no, that’s not me. So, like, what was your diagnosis journey and your journey of, like, leaning into that label, like?

Kayt:

Yeah. So I always knew about dyslexia, but it was never in my bubble of, like, oh, that’s me. I just knew it was a thing. Not necessarily what it meant. It wasn’t really introduced to me till freshman year of high school when it was another parent teacher conference, but bless my English teacher, Mrs. Wilson, she was going over my English grade to my mom and being like, okay, Kaytlin’s not doing well in this, and then there’s this. And I was just being embarrassed, you know, being 14 and being like, I suck at English. And my mom was probably like, my poor kid is kind of a moron like, ooh. But then Mrs. Wilson, she said something along the lines of Kaytlin’s doing bad at this, but it’s okay because that’s part of her dyslexia and then world full stop. Like, what? And my mom was like, Kayt doesn’t have dyslexia. And I was like, I don’t have dyslexia. And the teacher’s like, oh no, you definitely have dyslexia. And both my mom and I were like, what do you mean? And she’s like, there’s no possible way. The mistakes you’re making. It’s not that you’re an idiot. These are very, very particular. You’re mixing up words. You’re mixing up certain letters with the first and last you’re capitalizing your Ps for whatever reason, but it’s always, you’re capitalizing your Ps. These are dyslexia mistakes. These are not just, you’re a moron, you can’t be taught. And it should have been like a breath of fresh air, but it felt so suffocating because I was like, there’s that excuse. Like, this teacher’s finally giving me almost an out, like, this is why you’re doing this. This is why you’re the way you are. And it felt like an excuse. And I had that toxic mentality, like no, no way. Like, you’re an idiot. That’s just what it is. And so I brushed it under the rug. I was like, I’m not dyslexic. I just, I’m not good at this, for all of high school. That’s what it was. I did graduate [inaudible]

Jordan:

Shit, Kaytlin’s second grade teacher, 

Kayt:

Honestly, it was a pity graduation.

Lex:

Yeah. Watch your fucking back, Kaytlin’s second grade teacher.

Kayt:

I graduated from preparatory high school. So little tiny [inaudible] difficult than public, but-

Lex:

I only graduated from public school. That doesn’t mean shit.

Kayt (00:24:54):

Again, a pity graduation. I guarantee it. But I think it’s because my teachers- I was a good kid and they were like, we don’t want to fail this good kid, who tried. I was in every single day, an hour before school and two hours after school. I was there every single day doing math homework because I could not understand math. And my teachers would see me struggling and working and just not getting it. But I was trying, it wasn’t that I was lazy. It wasn’t that I was stupid. Like, I had an act of, like, I want to do well. I’m just having- I’m struggling. And uh, because it was a private school, there was no special ed classes. We didn’t even have a cafeteria. It was- it’s a very, there was 25 kids in my graduating class, just, like, four amazing kids, academically I was not. So, struggling, but they let me graduate. So thank you. But yeah. So for all of high school, tried to sweep it under the rug and then college rolled round. And then it was no longer this thing where I had to go to school because I had to, it’s the law. It was the school- it was, I’m going to get an education because I want to, because I want to get a job, because I want to enter society. And so then it was this mentality of like, okay, I’m going to school because I want to, I’m paying to go to school. I’m paying. My parents did help. They paid for most of it. But, like, it was no longer my parents were paying for a private school. I’m now going to a community college. So let’s do this. And I started struggling again really badly. And so I was like, okay, this can’t be a thing anymore. And then that kind of little- oh, you have dyslexia. And I was like, okay, maybe this is something I want to look into. I’m still nervous about it. I still don’t want to use an excuse, but let’s see. So I went to my advisor, I talked to her about it and she was like, okay, we can get you tested and see. Yup. Super have dyslexia. 

Jordan:

There you go. 

Lex:

There it is. 

Kayt:

I was like, okay, there’s no cure for dyslexia. And there wasn’t really anything I could do. But the relief I felt that, okay, it’s no longer an excuse that I’m using. It’s now a legitimate reason why I can’t do- but then I started researching everything I could about it and how I could benefit and how I could teach myself how to read and write. And like, I’m a theater kid, I’m an actor. So, like, I was like, doing it and using it to, like, read my scripts alongside my history. So I was trying to make it fun for me as well, because reading was not fun for me. I didn’t read till I was in fifth grade, till I was ten, because that was when books became fun for me. ‘Cause it wasn’t like, you know, it was like TV in your head. That was the discovery I made at fifth grade. Second grade, where people learn to read. No, that was my discovery point, when I was ten years old. I still remember it. So, uh, and we’ll get a little bit later into that because that’s also one of your questions, but uh, I have completely forgot what I was saying, so got it. So now I’m dyslexic, so now I’m doing- I know the tools, but school was still getting a little bit hard for me. And then it was at that point, I didn’t know what I wanted to do because I was going to school to be a special educator, which is a wild concept for me to try to teach other people how to do basic English, like reading. And so it didn’t feel right to me. I didn’t feel like I want to be put in the position where I’m trying to teach myself alongside teaching. It just did not feel right for me and no other subject felt right. And there was still a little bit, that toxic mentality of you’re not good enough to do anything. So I left school for a while, for a couple of years. Bounced around different places to live. I did different jobs and I still did art. Art was still a major passion, but it didn’t occur to me that I can make a job out of it, or a lifestyle. It was an escape. And I didn’t want to take that joy away from it. Something I love, to be something I’m getting paid for and then have the love of it disappear. And I didn’t want to do that to art because art got me through so much. And so I was like, art is a hobby, but I need to do something with my life. And I was working at this little cafe. There was no AC, it was up in the Oregon mountains. So it was a hot summer. Our ice cream machine was broken. There were customers coming in and out yelling at my poor- we had, like, foreign exchange, uh, workers from, like, Scandinavia coming over and they had broken English. So I was trying to, like, help them to have the customers not yell at them. And you’re like, yell at me instead. But that was a lot. And it broke me and I was finally like, I don’t want to do this anymore, but I don’t want to-

Lex:

Customer service is like torture.

Kayt:

It’s bad.

Lex:

It’s so bad. Like, please be nice to people.

Kayt:

Oh my gosh. Yeah. Like hell. Like, customer service, how they treat customer service. Like, oh, you’ve never worked a cash register before. I can tell by the everything about you. It’s like-

Lex (00:29:37):

Yeah, it’s like that energy. It’s similar energy to, like, oh, you’ve never been hit. Like, you’ve never been told no, like, ooh.

Jordan:

Just grody energy all around. 

Kayt:

And then I was like, okay, I still don’t want to go to school because I don’t know what I want to go to school for. But I want to do something that fulfills me, brings me happiness. What is that? It’s art. And I was like, you know what, let’s do it. Let’s give it a try. This was, like, I want to say about 2018, 2019, it’s 2021 right now. And I was like, let’s go to school. So that coming summer, I moved to San Diego to live with some family while I saved up money. Uh, and San Diego was, like, really cool, like, I grew in my artistic experiences, but I also was like, all right, that next fall, I am applying to a really good- I’m applying to a bunch of colleges. There was one in- that I go to now- that I was, like, really banking on. And uh, I was like, I hope I get this one because I live close to my other friend, Ange. And it will just be a great experience, but I will be happy with, like, if I can get into any art college. And, like, within a week, I got that application back and I got a $20,000 scholarship with it.

Jordan:

Yeah, you did.

Kayt (00:30:51):

I was, I cried so hard and I was like, yes. Now I can go to school with the tools I have. ‘Cause guess what? Art college doesn’t need any math. There isn’t even math classes. It revolves around art subjects. So it’s something I could be happy to work hard for. Incredible experience. How I got diagnosed with dyscalculia was actually this past fall in 2020, because my art school is very cool and it offers ten free therapy sessions every semester. And I didn’t feel like I needed therapy, but I was like, why not? I’ll just go. I’ll just talk. Like, I love talking. I have no problem doing that. Might as well just get, like, a couple of them in because when you lose them.

Lex:

You are on the right podcast.

Kayt (00:31:40):

There we go. So I went in and I was talking to this very nice lady. And I was just telling her about, like, my art journey and how I was, like, grateful. Like, I did art- I was kind of a little self-deprecating. ‘Cause I was like, the only reason I’m doing art is because I can’t do anything else. And she was like, well, what do you mean? And I was like, well, I have dyslexia. And, but that’s not all of it. I also, like, just can’t do math in general. And she’s like, oh, well maybe you have dyscalculia. And I was like, oh, what can you spell that? Don’t spell that. They made the two hardest words and, like, the most- 

Jordan:

That’s just disrespectful.

Kayt:

It is. It is. Yeah, you’re right. It’s disrespectful. I feel offended. 

Jordan:

That’s like how the fear of big words is a really, really long word. It’s just rude.

Kayt (00:32:22):

Yeah. Sadists. Sadists.

Lex:

Comedically, comedically there is some merit. 

Kayt:

Oh yeah, no comedically. But, so I had her explain it to me. It’s dyslexia for math. I did not know that was a thing. And again, that, like, oh, that’s an excuse. That’s an excuse because this sounds like a stretch. How can I have dyslexia and dyscalculia, like, come on. So I was like, let me take a test because if I can take a test, then I can prove it. And it’s not just an excuse, took a test. And it’s really weird. Those kinds of tests, because you go in like, this is a math test, I want to do good. But also if I don’t do good, that means I have the thing that I’m thinking I have. So it’s like, do I do good? Do I fail? Like, what am I doing? But I was like, I’m just going to do my best. And that’ll make me feel good whether I have it or not. I really did. Oh, I did bad. Oh, my best was awful, but it meant I had it. Got, my, my good excuse, my reason for it. And I was like, wow, okay. My entire childhood makes so much sense now because you need math for science and you need reading and writing for history. So, like, every single school subject, I’ve struggled on. Forget Spanish, that’s a foreign language. I can’t understand English. Do you expect me to try to figure out conjugation? Conjugating Spanish words, no. So, so I remember, like- I’m sorry, I’m going on so many tangents- in high school during a dance, uh, my Spanish teacher was, uh, the kind of, like, bouncer, like, the take-the-tickets or whatever. And she pulled me aside. She’s like, Kaytlin, I got to talk to you about something. And I was like, this is a dance. I want to have fun. And she’s like, no, this is really important. I think you’ll be really happy about it. Your F went to a C minus. And I cried. And that’s how enlisted I was. But there was one teacher who was like, you’re doing so good and you got to- listen, like, I will take any C. That sounds awful. But that was amazing for me. I was trying my best and it was still just not connecting and it’s not my fault that there are just wires in my head that are crossed. And so I wish I had known this way back when, but thank God I had such a great family and I grew up a happy kid, a very soft but happy kid. So I don’t want to say like, you know, my life would have been so much better if I had known before. I mean, it would have been easier. Don’t know about better. And I’m just happy I know it now. So that while I’m going to school for animation, something I really am passionate about, something I feel good about, I have the tools to help me get through it, get through those, uh, history papers about certain art subjects. Be able to use tips and tricks to be able to, like, draw and, like, be able to function at my normal job because my job requires a bit of subtraction and multiplication. And I’m like, okay, this is an acting job. Why do I have to do it? There’s still that there. So I can still function as a human being. And now I have these resources and I have these excuses and I’m like, okay, we’re good from here on out. Only going up. Yeah. So it’s- hell, it’s so uplifting. It’s so great.

Jordan:

Amazing. 

Lex:

I’m so happy for you. 

Kayt:

Thank you. 

Lex:

Thank you. Yeah. Thank you for sharing too. That was so great. 

Kayt:

Yeah, of course.

Lex:

Love getting to know more about you. 

Kayt:

It was a lot. It’s mostly weird like Disney and Donald Duck facts. That’s, that’s the majority of my persona. It’s just the wild animation facts. And then a lot of history about Donald Duck.

Jordan:

I know no history about Donald Duck, so.

Kayt:

Listen, I don’t want to bore you.

Jordan:

But we can, maybe you can get to that later on the Dopamine Trampoline.

Kayt:

Oh, There we go. I can definitely do that. For sure.

Jordan (00:36:02):

Incredible. Perfect. So you did mention earlier when you were talking about teaching yourself and learning some tips and tricks and things like that. Do you want to share some of those with us, like, what have you learned? What methods work for you? What have you discovered? 

Kayt:

So I’ve never read- I’ve never heard- there’s no scientific grounding for this. This is just what I’ve experienced as myself. And what I’ve heard from the very few people I am in touch with that have dyslexia. And it’s that we are very phonetic learners because it’s almost like our senses have to be heightened because we can’t trust our eyes really to see what’s in front of us because our eyes could be 20/20, it’s the wires to our brain that are messed up. And so it’s almost like, you know, how blind people have a heightened sense of hearing, but that’s kind of what it is. We’re really good at learning phonetically, which means we’re- if we hear it, we can perceive it. So a lot of times when I have long scripts of dialogue to read, or I’m reading a big just science paragraph about whatever, I will copy and paste it and then put it into a Google, like, translate and have it read it to me. I can’t remember any of the websites I use, but there are websites out there that will just read for you and then perfect. So I can still get it, but I won’t have to worry about my brain, like, missing words or switching words and making it an absolute headache to get through. So I can listen to it. And then I get it. And I’m really good at, like, being able to process information through hearing. That’s like one of the best. And I know that a lot of dyslexic people are phonetic learners or kinesthetic learners, learn with their hands, but just not, not visual at all. Um, so that’s, like, one of the best tips, like, especially for schools, for students. Copy and paste, whatever, like a big book, like, if you have- thankfully, we live in the 21st century so, like, most of our stuff we have to read is online anyway- it’s a little bit harder. Um, but audiobooks are- hopefully there’s an audiobook of the book, you have to read and whatever, like to kill a Mockingbird, that kind of stuff, listen to audiobooks. And that’s why podcasts and audiobooks are like my best friends, because I can get my fix for storytelling through podcasts and I can get audiobooks for any books I have to read for school and be able to still also do other things while I’m listening. So it’s just so helpful to be able to multitask if my brain is working on something and my hands are working on something. Beautiful. Magic.

Lex (00:38:35):

Speaking my language. 

Kayt:

I know that’s a very big ADHD thing too though. Like, be able to multitask.

Jordan:

It is. I think I’m the opposite. Like, all really, because I don’t retain information if I just hear it. Unless I will never need it again. If someone’s like, here’s all the things you need to remember. Here’s your grocery list. Here’s a very important appointment. Also, did you know that Marie Antoinette used to wear potato flowers in her hair? Guess which one of those pieces of information I will remember years later. 

Lex:

Yup. No. It’s if someone’s like, hey, so can you go grab this for me right now? I still will be like, wait, okay. Let’s do it one more time. Hit with it one more time. What is it? I just want to make sure. 

Kayt:

So you can definitely tell, like- especially neurodivergent people- there’s, like, one particular thing and dyslexic people, definitely phonetic learners because it’s what we can rely on. It’s that that’s a straight path to our brain. 

Jordan:

I did not know that. 

Lex:

That makes sense to me. ‘Cause, like, yeah, like, it’s not that you have quote, unquote poor vision, right? It’s just, the wires are crossed. So, like, even if you can see clearly, you can’t see clearly. You know what I mean?

Kayt:

[Inaudible] like, let’s switch this up. Let’s freestyle it a little bit. I can’t do that with the Gettysburg address. I need to remember this. But yeah. For, like, I can hear a song. I can remember all the lyrics, like, the first time I hear it. And that’s just for me, like, some people don’t, some people are way better. Some people are, like, less. I just know that’s always worked for me, which is probably also why, like, I do gravitate towards movies. ‘Cause, like, the soundtracks I’m like, oh, this is great. And it, like, mixing all the best things that I can do. So I was like, this is, this is where I shine. I can listen well and I can draw, I can. I don’t have the best vision ‘cause I wear glasses and I can’t see for shit, but that’s not- that’s also, it’s definitely a brain thing too. So I can’t blame it on poor eyesight for sure. 

Lex:

I’m sorry, did you say, you can remember the lyrics to a song, like, the whole song? 

Kayt:

Not the whole song, but I can remember most of, like, the lyrics and the rhythm by just hearing it once. Don’t test me on this because I don’t want to fail on your podcast. 

Lex:

I can nail down a melody. I can nail down, like, the tune, but the lyrics, hell.

Jordan:

I’m lucky if I can remember, like, one line to Google search it later and figure out what song it is. 

Lex:

Yeah, no, the amount of times that I’ve literally just Googled do-do-do-do, like, ‘cause I’m like, please someone else, someone else have thought the same thing about this stupid song [inaudible]

Jordan:

And it’s like bup bup baba, or something. 

Lex:

Yeah. Oh my God. Like, like, oh my gosh, on the episode with, uh, the folks from Sounds Fake But Okay, I just was like, you know, the one song, it’s on Tik Tok a lot. Do-do-do-do-do and everyone just sort of stared at me and I was like, you know, like the song that, it goes do-do-do-do. I was like, I don’t know. I don’t know anything else. But then when I Googled it and actually enough people were [inaudible] 

Jordan:

Because that song that’s like, do-do-do-do. 

Lex:

Yeah. But I found it.

Jordan (00:41:53):

Amazing. The internet’s a beautiful place sometimes.

Lex:

It is. It helps that the singing is actually saying, do-do-do-do. You know. It wasn’t just me. 

Kayt:

I’m listening to it and then I’ll retain it and we’ll be great. There we go. Perfect. That’s the system we’ll do. [Inaudible] But yeah. That’s, I think that’s the major one. Math is just- calculator. You’re just going to have a calculator and you just got to take your time and you- oh, patience. Oh my gosh. Just, if I could have little Kaytlin be there and be like, you’re okay. Like, take a deep breath. It’s not something you could fix. It’s just something you have to deal with for the rest of your life. Just take a deep breath. It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re not, you’re not stupid. You’re not broken. You’re not any of that. If there’s any little dyslexic listeners out there, know it’s okay. Take a breath. You’re so great. It’s just hard and that’s okay. It can be hard for people and you should not feel ashamed of it for sure. Like, it’s just, you just can’t do it, but you can take your time and you can work it out and you can have wonderful friends who will, like, read over your writing. I have my, I send anything I write to my mom or my friend to, like, look over, like, hey, can you check over grammar? Because I’ve read this four times and my brain will just not see easy, easy spelling errors. And I’m like, can you check it? And they’re like, yes. And then I’ll get it back but with a lot of red marks and I’m like, that’s, that’s great. That’s why I sent it to you to help me, help me along. So you just, you just need, really, people in your life to help you along, who still love you no matter what. And then just be patient with yourself. With anything, not just dyslexia, just anything. Not even, like, even neurodivergent related. Just love yourself [inaudible]

Lex:

No, like, I’m not little nor do I have dyslexia, but I do feel very held by you right now, Kayt.

Kayt (00:43:44):

Yeah, I got you, Lex, come here. But yeah, just be patient with yourself. Oh my gosh, that’s the best advice you can give, really, any little kid, just take a deep breath. It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world for this problem. And if it’s a problem, that’s okay. We can, we can get through it. Whether we fix it or just figure out a way how to deal with it. That’s okay.

Jordan:

That’s great advice.

Kayt:

Yeah. That’s- those are my two big ones. Yeah, for sure. But right. 

Lex:

Never hold in a fart. Just to add my own words of wisdom. 

Kayt:

That’s a good one. Don’t hold in sneezes either. You lose brain cells doing that.

Lex:

Well, I lose brain cells doing a lot, so let’s not add that to the list. 

Kayt:

Let those sneezes fly babes. 

Jordan:

Just let it all out, you know. Better out than in I think, across the board.

Kayt:

Actually with COVID now don’t let the sneezes be in a little area. Use a tissue. 

Jordan:

Just sneeze out into your mask.

Lex:

Or, like, into your elbow. But, like, really into your elbow, don’t just lift your arm up like a foot away from your face. That doesn’t count. Animals.

Jordan:

Direct your sneezes in a specific, safe location out of your body. You have to have, like, a fire drill [inaudible]

Lex (00:44:58):

Well, and [inaudible] also no, like, honestly this is so gross. I’m so, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but like the amount of times where I’ve been like, I have to sneeze so bad. I don’t want to sneeze on my sleeve. I don’t have any tissues and I will just full-on stick my head, like, like a turtle. I will retreat into whatever shirt or top I have on and just sneeze into that. ‘Cause I’m like, it’ll be on the inside [inaudible] ‘cause people can’t see it. If you get snot on your sleeve, that’s visible. If I get snot on the inside of my sweatshirt, I can feel it. And I have to sit with that shame. And I’m not saying it’s pleasant. I’m not saying that it’s good or that I like it, but I have done it. 

Jordan:

Can I, can I propose an alternative?

Lex (00:45:47):

You tell me to get a hanky, gross. 

Jordan:

What? No, I was just going to say roll up your sleeve if you sneeze on it.

Lex:

But then you sneeze on your bare arm. And the thing is, like, I’m imagining when I sneeze, like, in front of other people. And so I’m trying to, A) protect everybody from all of the mess.

Jordan:

I’m saying if you sneeze, sneeze on your sleeve and then roll it up. So then no one has to see it. 

Lex:

Why is that better than just-

Jordan:

It’s not against your skin.

Lex:

I mean, like, okay. I think our bodies are different in this way because I’ve got, like, some, some big, as the kids call them, mommy milkers right now. And always. [Laughter] Um, I’m sorry. I’m not sorry. But anyway, so I got some big, some big titties. So, like, my blouses are always, like, like, they don’t lay against my skin right by my neck. There’s like a tent effect. I’m like, it doesn’t touch my skin. And I’m like, why is this? What is our anatomy? Oh, and it’s not, it’s not you. It’s just, I really, I got the Pfizer vaccine. So things have just escalated. A lot of people have been, like, gaining weight and especially people with boobs have been getting bigger boobs after getting the Pfizer vaccine, and myself included. Like, my boobs are getting bigger I think. And I’m also gaining more weight. 

Jordan:

Damn. Why did I get Johnson and Johnson? 

Kayt:

Oh, I got Moderna. So, ooh.

Lex:

I mean, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s, like, too much. I feel like I’m being selfish at this point. [Inaudible] Yeah. Yeah. I’m like, if I could share, I would. Like, I need to win a million dollars or something so I can get a boob job and give some boob to all of my friends who want some. ‘Cause I don’t want that much. 

Jordan:

Like an open source, boob exchange. 

Lex:

Please. 

Kayt:

You give hair to people in need [inaudible]

Lex:

Yeah. No. And honestly, like, what I wouldn’t do for the back pain, you know? 

Kayt:

Yeah. Man, if I could just, like, sleep on my stomach, that would be magical.

Lex:

See, here’s the thing, I do just sleep on my stomach. Boobs be damned. I don’t know how I sleep. I just sort of, like, get tired enough that I have to. So anyways, thank you so much for coming on our podcast. I’m very sorry. 

Kayt:

I’m here, I’m just vibing. I love it. 

Jordan:

So I think my next question was going to be, like, what advice do you have for people who want to work with someone with dyslexia? But I feel like you’ve answered that pretty well too. 

Lex:

Yeah. Like, home run, knocked it out of the whole park. Like just knocked it way out. 

Kayt:

Sorry. 

Lex:

No, why are you apologizing? If you can be one thing you should be efficient. That’s the saying, one of the sayings on Letterkenny and I think it’s true. I have a question for you that may sort of, like, segue us a little bit into a trampoline full of dopamine. But what is, at least right now, ‘cause I know this is probably a big question. So you don’t have to, like, say the end all be all, but what is your favorite animated movie/show/series? Like, whatever. Like, what’s your favorite uh, piece of animated artwork we’ll say? Like, right now. It doesn’t have to be, like, your end all be all. Because again, I know that’s a big question and I know it probably depends on, like, what genre and what, like, sort of medium, whether it’s, like, TV or a movie. But I was just curious.

Kayt:

Just, like, in general or, like, what?

Lex:

Like, are you vibing with anything, like, right now?

Kayt:

Right now, literally every single Disney Pixar movie that they’re releasing is phenomenal. I’m going to tweak that question a little bit with an answer that kind of ties it up. 

Lex:

Absolutely. Yeah. Tweak away, 

Kayt:

A series that meant so much to me growing up and what actually sparked my following on Tumblr and Instagram, art-wise, was a series about a dyslexic kid. Percy Jackson.

Jordan (00:50:14):

I did not know this. Did I know this and I forgot? I maybe knew this.

Kayt:

That book came out when I was ten when I started loving books. And that was one of the books that helped me read one [inaudible] that reading was actually fun despite the difficulties. Like, oh, there’s a story, cool. But it also was about this kid, spoiler alert for Percy Jackson. But-

Lex:

I don’t know, like, does anyone not know the premise of Percy Jackson in our generation? 

Kayt:

No, there’s no way, but for people who don’t know what the series is about, it’s about-

Lex-

Which, if you don’t that’s okay too, right? 

Kayt:

It’s about a kid who has ADHD and dyslexia. And the reason why he has this is because he is a demigod, which is half human and half Greek God. And the book series follows this 12-year-old kid who starts off going through life, just awful at school. And he gets bullied by teachers and bullied by other kids because of just how much he gets in trouble. And he just doesn’t focus in class. And he has a really supportive mom who loves him despite that. But there are just real life troubles that he goes through. And then add that all with, like, the plot of the book with, like, the god side of it, uh, where life gets really rough and, like, there’s a whole lot of, like, gods at work and whatever. And you follow this kid who goes through all these trials and tribulations despite his disabilities. And he’s amazing. And you fall in love with his story and you fall in love with his character arc. And you’re just captivated by this and for a ten-year-old who has dyslexia, who is bad at school, who’s had teachers give up on her, who has a supportive family, but that’s just always not enough to get past that barrier of that self-love, self-deprecating where there’s just, like, there’s no hope. And you’re like, I want to be amazing, but I can’t be because there’s these disabilities and you read that first book and you’re like, this kid’s amazing, but he has ADHD. He has dyslexia. He’s just like me. And at the time I didn’t make the connection, like, that I had dyslexia.

Lex:

Same. Same, but, like, with ADHD, but like, yes, yeah. 

Kayt:

Fell in love with this character. And I fell into the series and I was like, I can relate to this. And that’s how I got popular on Tumblr and Instagram, was all the Percy Jackson fan art that I drew throughout middle school, throughout high school following these books. But that was a series that meant so much to me as a kid. And, like, now there’s like a TV series coming out and there’s the book series. Like whatever, like, I won’t say anything about the author because sometimes it was a little problematic with his recent work, but those original five books changed my life and that’s a series that’s special to me. And especially the little me and especially the big me too, because, like, I got my art start, from drawing Percy Jackson fan art. And that’s how I got popular, I say with quotation marks. Like, that’s how I got recognized and met a lot of my art friends through this fan art that I did of the series. And that is one that has a special place in my heart. Just this little kid who’s just, he’s struggling, but oh boy. You’re with them through the struggles. 

Lex:

Yeah. On that note, curiosity, just sorta like, oh, if you had, if you found out that you were going to attend Camp Half-Blood, the camp that they get sent to where they sort of find out, you know, about the whole, like, hey, you know how your ADHD and you have dyslexia, psych it’s because you’re half god, like, which, like, the confidence boost, right? But also which, who do you think your godly parent is? If you were in that situation? 

Kayt:

Yeah. It’s a tie between Apollo art, art kids or Demeter. I grew up as a farm kid. I was raised on [inaudible] animals to a fair. 

Jordan:

We did so much 4-H stuff together.

Kayt:

We did. Oh my god. I totally forgot about that, we super did.

Jordan:

Yeah, we did. I went to the fair with you. You were always staying there ‘cause you had animals there and you did that cooking demo. 

Kayt:

Oh my god, the cooking demo. 

Jordan:

I still have those milkshake cups in our house in Chicago.

Lex:

Hey, Kayt, have we talked about this? I also did 4-H. My family also has a farm.

Kayt:

Oh my gosh, what kind of farm?

Lex (00:54:26):

Yeah. My family has, like, 300 acres of fruit, but then my other uncle has, like, cattle and sheep and goats and pigs. So I, like, showed a calf once, but I mostly showed my bunny. 

Kayt:

Yeah. Those are the two I haven’t done. So that’s amazing. 

Lex:

Yeah. So, like, very different part of the country.

Kayt:

So, yeah, Apollo or Demeter. Yeah. Whichever one. 

Jordan:

Speaking of really kick-ass stories. Are you working on anything right now? 

Kayt:

Yes. So-

Lex:

Promotion, promotion, we’re doing a promotion. 

Kayt:

This is very sweet of you to mention. I am working on a podcast right now. Uh, the first series, just to give a little tidbit, is called the Angela Diaries. And, uh, I was planning on releasing it by the end of the summer, but it looks like I’m just going to have to push it back a little towards fall, but it’s going to be like a 12-part episode, just following the life of a girl in Portland. And, um, some serious things are happening in her apartment building. And this is, uh, it’s placed in 1989. 1989, Portland. This new girl in town, going to school, doesn’t know what for yet. It’s totally not based on my life at all or weird things that have happened to me in my apartment. 

Lex:

It’s totally fine. It’s fine. 

Kayt:

But some things are, uh, not as what they seem. So, yeah, it’s called the Angela Diaries and at some point I’ll have a release date. Still in the process of writing episodes, but you may hear some familiar voices from Lex or Jordan in the coming episodes later on, we’ll see.

Lex:

Yeah. Not that one. 

Jordan:

Please let it be that one. Actually the most serious thing that’s been happening in your apartment.

Lex:

Do you have any sugar, ask the neighbors, right? Hey, neighbor, got sugar?

Kayt (00:56:30):

There we go. From apartment 405. There he is.

Lex:

Yeah. Well, awesome. Thank you so much for sharing that. I’m sure that when it comes out, we will be sharing and retweeting and a bunch of stuff so that y’all at home can tune into that as well. And also, I don’t think you need to worry about it being a little late or having to, like, push some dates. It’s kind of surprising that we still have a podcast, I think, to people whenever we release a new episode, so, like, you’re good. I’m sure it’s fine. 

Kayt:

It’s something in the works that I’m really excited about ‘cause I learned how to do audio stuff for school. So I was like, why not?

Lex (00:57:14):

Why not? Why not? 

Kayt:

It’s the dyslexia that’s stopping me from writing. That’s the why not.

Jordan:

That’s the audio medium. 

Kayt:

Like, I just bullshit. I’m the main character talking anyway. There we go.

Lex:

Yes. Best way to look at the world through main character’s eyes [inaudible]. Mood. You know what else is, like, fun to project onto. It’s fun to just astral- project your way onto a trampoline filled with some dopamine. I said I’d segue. I didn’t say it’d be good. I didn’t say it’d be a good segue. 

Jordan:

And I appreciate that. 

Kayt:

I loved it. It was so great. It was so effortless. Just smooth. 

Lex:

Thank you for hyping everything we’re doing and saying up. It’s just really making me feel bigger than my boots. 

Kayt:

Yeah, it’s good. That’s what I’m here for. 

Jordan:

Because you are the guest this week. 

Kayt:

No, you guys go first. 

Lex:

Do you want to, do you want to see how it, how it feels? How it goes? 

Kayt:

Yeah. You guys go first and I’ll close it.

Lex:

I get that. I can respect that. 

Jordan:

We can do that. Lex, what do you got? 

Lex:

I know I segued this here. I wasn’t ready. I am ready. Okay. So I have been reading oh, hold for gasp. I have been reading a real book, which I haven’t done in, like, literally months. I’ve been reading. Now hold on, hold tight, buckle up folks. I’ve been reading Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey [inaudible]. It’s Matthew McConaughey’s autobiography. And my partner got it for me for Valentine’s Day this year, because I really like Matthew McConaughey. And I was like, you know, I bet he’s lived a really weird and wild life. I would love to read that autobiography. And so here we are several months later reading the autobiography. And let me tell you, I am thoroughly enjoying it. I am, like, laughing out loud at parts. I literally have said, like, out loud, what the fuck? At least twice. I’m only probably, like, a third of the way through. So, like, I’m not that far, but, like, the things that I’m learning about this celebrity from Texas, let me tell ya. Like, did y’all know, did y’all, did y’all know Matthew McConaughey did peyote in a cage with a lion? Like, a mountain lion in the cage with him. And he did peyote in the cage.

Kayt:

Did the mountain lion also do peyote?

Lex (00:59:53):

Unclear. It was one sentence and he has not revisited any part of it. I’m hoping that he will, but that is, like, he just slipped it in a little, like, little, like, Oxford comma then added that on, sort of thing. A, like, a, like, about me sort of thing within the first couple of pages. 

Jordan:

I will pepper in the fact that I did peyote with a mountain lion?

Lex:

Yeah. In a locked cage with a mountain lion. Like, hello.

Kayt:

You just, like, gave us a lovely little, like, crumb.

Jordan:

Little amuse-bouche. Yeah.

Kayt:

And then, like, leave us wanting the whole meal. But just being like, no, we’re going on to something else now. 

Lex:

Yeah. And, like, obviously, you know, like, he’s a professor at UT Austin now and, like, yeah, he has been for awhile and he’s, like, one of their professors in film or something. I don’t know if he’s, like, not adjunct, but, like adjunct, but paid way better, I think is probably sort of the vibe because he obviously has other stuff that he’s working on I think. Also, there was talk of him wanting to run for governor of Texas, which I really hope he doesn’t do that. ‘Cause I don’t like that shit at all. No, thank you. But this book is wild and I love it and I will keep y’all updated if it gets, like, bad or better. Right. But, like, as of now I have thoroughly enjoyed this, this dude’s life story so far, it’s just weird. He just, like, does things, like, he just talks his way into things, gets his way into things. And, like, I will say from my perspective, I understand that, like, he’s a white dude. And so, like, from that angle, he has not faced a lot of challenges. Like, he was the antagonist in the newer, Texas chainsaw massacre, which I didn’t know. ‘Cause I’ve never seen the new one. He was supposed to play some other character that, like, barely talks and is in, like, two scenes. And then he was, like, recommending people for that to, like, the casting director. And he’s like, actually, can I just start shooting for that one? And they were like, I mean, you don’t have any women to read with you here. And then, like, the secretary was like, I guess I’ll do it. And he, like, scared her so bad she started crying. 

Kayt:

Oh my god.

Lex:

I know. And so then he got to be the antagonist. So, like, he’s really good at everything he does. And he just kind of, like, does things like, he just kind of speaks shit into existence. And I do vibe with that personally because I do also sorta just, like, show up and do things and I’m like, yeah, I’m here. I can do it. 

Kayt:

God. What a wild, wild man. 

Jordan:

Can you imagine that? Taught by Matthew McConaughey. Just, like, sitting in class and it’s Matthew McConaughey and he’s teaching about film and you’re just like, I’m not gonna retain any information ‘cause this is Matthew McConaughey. 

Lex:

I think the thing is, I was, like, seeing him instuff like, like True Detective I’m like, oh, okay. I get it. I see, I see why you are teaching this. I see why you are, you know, in here. But also you’re, like, in your fifties or sixties, I don’t know how old, I think he’s in his fifties, maybe forties. I don’t know. But he’s hot and he’s still so hot. 

Kayt:

I’m googling. Fifty-one years old. According to Google. 

Lex:

Wow. Yeah, no, I had no idea. 

Kayt:

Dude, buckwild. Yeah. Please tell us more. Once you learn more. It’s just wild facts about this man. 

Lex:

His improv- the all right, all right, all right was a line he improvised for his character in Dazed and Confused, which, like, the director just liked him and they just vibed. So he got a bigger, like, that part became bigger. It was written, like, into more scenes because the director just was like, I like this dude’s vibe, never been in a movie before, but I like him. 

Jordan:

Nice. Okay. Yeah. 

Kayt:

What a journey. 

Lex:

Yeah. So that’s my DT. Full and long-winded. Sorry, I love Matthew McConaughey. 

Jordan:

It’s a lot of life there though.

Kayt:

That gave me serotonin for sure. That was definitely- I’m dopamine trampolining. [Inaudible]

Lex (01:03:56):

Yeah. Yeah. Sure. It is now.

Kayt:

I meant to say I’m jumping along, right along with you, but uh, oof.

Jordan:

I like trampolining better. We’re going to have to start using that. 

Lex:

Time to bounce. [Laughter] 

Jordan:

Okay. So my Dopamine Trampoline this week is a long time love of mine. That-

Lex:

It’s me. 

Jordan:

I do love you very much, but no. A longer time love of mine actually. And it is a website index that serves a very important purpose of indexing the different carpet patterns of airports across our beautiful globe. It’s called Carpets For Airports and it’s carpetsforairports.com. You can click on all of the different carpets around the globe that are indexed and there’s a photo of it. So you can see what they’re talking about. And there is a description written by a carpet enthusiast that submitted it to the Carpets For Airports index. And it is all around the world. There are hundreds of carpets on this website. 

Lex:

Have you submitted anything?

Jordan:

I have yet to, I think that the Pasco airport has new carpets though. So I should take care of that one. 

Kayt:

Yeah, there we go. 

Lex:

Just put a slab of carpet down from, like, the home improvement dumpster, like, just, like, go grab one, throw it on the floor. 

Kayt:

Are they like art piece galleries where they have, like, a description of, like, make and model?

Jordan:

No, it’s actually, it’s a very artistic take on it. It’s kind of the emotional story of the carpet. And I’ll give you a little bit of background and then I’ll, I’ll share some of these with you. It was started by a journalist named George Pendle. Who just traveled a lot from being a journalist and spent a lot of time looking at carpets. I think it was a flight from Newark to London that really inspired him. It got delayed and he spent so long looking at the carpet. His quote was “patterns looked out at me, hidden messages whispered in my ear. By the time I boarded my plane, I was a changed man.” 

Lex:

Yeah, bro. I’ve popped edibles before a flight before, too. 

Jordan:

So yeah, after this, he launched carpetsforairports.com in 2009. And you know, he processes all of the submissions that people send in ‘cause this is a crowdsource thing. He maintains the site, but it is for the most part, just carpets. Like, if there’s other [inaudible] there’s actually a tile description that I will share with you later that is quite cutting. But when he asked why it was just carpets and why not include wood or tiled floors, Pendle replied “who can explain the evil that men do.” 

Lex:

Cool. 

Kayt:

George, Georgie. Hey. 

Lex:

Okay. Okay.

Kayt (01:07:09):

[Inaudible] questions. 

Lex:

What does this man know? 

Jordan:

More than I do.

Lex:

Hey, what secrets did that carpet whisper though? 

Jordan:

Things that I don’t know if I’d survive. 

Kayt:

Yeah. Wow. 

Lex:

I want to try though.

Kayt:

Listening to him. 

Jordan:

They’re very, they’re very, they’re beautiful. People put a lot of effort into this. Like, here’s the description of carpet from the San Jose International Airport by a user named Chris Dames. [Inaudible] Yeah. Hey Chris. A two tone cream and chocolate flat leave. SJC is suggestive of a half drunk cup of coffee cooling at the end of an unsuccessful day of selling insurance door to door. One can almost sense the loneliness and frustration seeping out from it. It is a carpet that fails to achieve greatness but is obsessed by it. 

Lex:

Okay, Chris, you could have been a little nicer to the carpet. 

Kayt:

Just the flavor of it. It’s like I’m there in the airport.

Lex (01:08:04):

Very, very detailed. I definitely feel like I’m there, but I am feeling a little defensive for that carpet. You know what I mean? I’ve never been, I don’t know what it looks like, but I’m a little like, hey, hey, let the carpet live. 

Jordan:

I’ll share the picture. I’ll make sure it gets on the Twitter. It’s very accurate. Like I said, there is a very cutting tile description that is from the Amerigo Vespucci Airport in Florence. And it read-

Lex:

Of course, that’s what they named their airport. 

Jordan:

They sure did. For context real fast, this is basically marble tile and it says, and it says “the Italian conspiracy against carpeted airport floors continues at FLR. What are we to make of the Italians? How can a country that is renowned for its love of the sensual pleasures prove so lacking when it comes to airport carpeting? Has it got something to do with the mother thing?” I’ll, I’ll actually let you guys guess who wrote that. 

Kayt:

Oh, just, like, a random, we just guess a name or-

Jordan:

Guess a famous person you wouldn’t expect to be, who wrote this.

Lex:

Danny DeVito. God, I wish. No, he’d be nicer. Especially to Italians probably. 

Kayt:

I don’t know any actors. I’ve uh, who’s that? You know what? I’m just, Jimmy Kimmel?

Lex:

Liam Neeson? 

Jordan:

It was Hugh Dancy. 

Kayt:

Why is he so mean to Italians?

Lex:

Hey, Hugh Dancy, it’s a tile. It’s okay. It’s easier to clean.

Jordan:

He’s very [inaudible] about airport carpets apparently. He is a major contributor to Carpets For Airports. ‘Cause I guess he travels a lot for acting.

Lex:

That makes sense.

Kayt:

What’s with the mother thing? You got something to talk about?

Jordan:

Apparently he has some beef with the Italians.

Kayt:

God, I wish, I wish they were real. 

Lex:

Who hurt you, Hugh?

Kayt:

The Italians, I guess.

Jordan:

Apparently he was traveling and, like, so focused on the carpet that he actually got pulled aside and questioned as a potential terrorist. ‘Cause they were like, you are way too attentive in this airport. But yeah, it’s a worldwide index of airport carpets by people who are very passionate about airport carpets. 

Lex:

I’m sorry. How attentive do you have to be to be more attentive in an airport? Like, my head is on a fucking swivel in the airport. Who-

Jordan:

Were you taking detailed photographs of the carpet? 

Lex:

But, like, what purpose, in what world do you see that and you’re like, terrorism! Terrorism! Like, what?

Kayt (01:10:51):

Security who are like the school yard, like, hall monitor of police. 

Lex:

Yeah, basically. But then who’s like, you’re being too attentive. You’re too on your guard. Hey, I see you’re on your A game. Cut that shit out. Like, what do you want? You want us to move quickly through TSA? Choose one. You can’t have both. 

Jordan:

Usually that section’s tiled though. So they’re like, pay attention to the tile, not the carpet. The carpet they know, they know it’s full of secrets, I guess. 

Lex:

I guess. Whatever, whatever secrets were whispered, they’re trying to get it all. That’s the next big conspiracy. 

Jordan:

But enough about me. What is your Dopamine Trampoline? 

Lex:

There was nothing about you in there. Just the fact that you love this carpet website and that speaks, that does speak volumes about you. But I will say I could, I could hear more about you. Like, for much longer. You know.

Jordan (01:11:45):

We’ll talk. We will, but I think right now my mother is texting me saying, oh, you need to be-

Lex:

Tacos!

Jordan:

Right now. Yeah. 

Lex:

Okay, cool. Yes. 

Kayt:

I guess really fast then my, my Dopamine Trampoline is just the abundant amount of Donald Duck lore that I’m familiar with. Well, I have an entire, about 12 pages worth of Donald Duck facts on my phone, which I will not read all of them to you, but-

Lex:

Yeah, I mean, if you read them out loud, we probably would stop paying attention because we talked about this. 

Jordan:

I would stare at you adoringly the whole time. 

Lex:

Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. I would be pretending to pay attention so hard. 

Kayt:

Listen, I’m a ham. I love the attention. So I will gladly take it. I’ll try to make this as interesting as possible. So did you guys know that Donald candidly joined the Navy and, like, he’s an actual military Sergeant? Like, he is, he’s not only a mascot. Like, he’s got awards. He was all, like, in about, I want to say, seven military films for propaganda for World War II, as well as just, like, he’s a mascot for, like, literally so many fighter squadrons and, like, bombardment squadrons. 

Lex:

I actually knew this one, but that’s because I was a European history major in college. And so we did talk a lot about propaganda and Donald Duck’s name was brought up. 

Kayt:

Yeah. Like, for Donald’s 50th birthday celebration during the 25th Annual Torrance, California Armed Forces Day Parade, the US army officially retired Donald Duck with active duty as a buck sergeant. That’s right. My boy is a decorated officer buck sergeant duck, which isn’t a supervisory rank, but it’s the equivalent of a specialist and a senior airman. So, like, it’s the only veteran I [inaudible] like amazing. 

Lex:

Although, although ACAB does apply for the military. ACAB does apply to Donald Duck. I couldn’t. Okay. But it does though. 

Jordan:

Beautiful day and you are a terrible buck sergeant duck. 

Kayt:

Yeah. It’s fine. He’s no longer there. Um, so I’ll just do some really quick fun facts. Donald Duck’s full name is Donald Fauntleroy Duck. Yup, amazing. Like, and another fun little fact, Mickey Mouse, his full name is Michael Theodore Mouse. And, like, okay, what is with these rich, white boy names? Like, my boy Goofy can’t even afford a middle, let alone a last name. He was, like, putting a child through school while not having a college education. And both Donald and Mickey have full, ridiculous names. But anyway, yeah. 

Lex:

And Donald’s got rich relatives. 

Kayt:

He does. He doesn’t get a cent of it, but he’s got rich relatives. Donald Duck’s canon birthday is March 13th, which is a Friday. He was born on a Friday the 13th. 

Jordan:

So he’s a pisces. 

Led:

Shut up. Stop it.

Jordan (01:14:43):

That explains a lot. 

Lex:

Stop it.

Kayt:

That’s so good. I never thought of that. I’m adding that to the list later. Donald is [inaudible] blue/green colorblind. Yeah. This was made evident in one of the war propaganda shorts, Donald Gets Drafted, when Donald was getting tested to see if he’s eligible to serve the Navy. And he mistakes a blue card for a green card, but they let him in anyway. ‘Cause he’s a good boy. Um, but it’s yeah, later confirmed by Disney, uh, animators that, like, yeah he’s [inaudible]

Lex:

Let’s see how far the corruption goes. 

Kayt:

And, like, there’s just, you know, typical, he, like, goes to therapy for his anger management and he’s like [inaudible] he’s a good, beefy boy who I adore with all my heart. And I get a lot of serotonin from thinking about Donald Duck and getting little Donald Duck, like, statues and plushies, which is from, like, Disneyland because it makes me happy. 

Jordan:

That’s amazing. 

Lex:

I’m more of a goofy gal myself, but- 

Kayt:

No, power to you. Absolutely.

Lex:

Gawrsh, Mickey.

Jordan (01:15:49):

The Goofy movie, I will say, is one of the best original character movies. 

Kayt:

I2I blew my mind, that entire soundtrack. Like, did I tell you? Oh my gosh, the director of the Goofy movie, Kevin Lima retweeted one of my tweets. Holy shit. 

Jordan:

Yeah, Kevin, yeah. 

Kayt:

Sorry. Kevin Lima is the director of the Goofy movie and he retweeted one of my tweets about the Goofy movie and I felt, like, bestowed so much honor. I just felt like-

Jordan:

Oh, Kevin, call, call our girl. Need some animators? 

Lex:

Hey, Kev Kev. Hey, our dear friend, Kevy.

Kayt:

Kevin. He’s 60 years old.

Lex:

Yeah, we don’t know, we don’t know him. I don’t know him yet. Come on, Kev Kev, come through.

Kayt (01:16:44):

But yeah, that’s my Dopamine Trampoline. My tramp- did I say it right?

Lex:

Sorry. I said ACAB about your Dopamine Trampoline, but I do stand by it. 

Kayt:

It took me a while. 

Jordan:

He’s out now? He went through therapy?

Kayt:

Yeah. He’s good. Yeah. He’s there. It’s okay. 

Lex:

I think he probably commits a few war crimes in Kingdom Hearts, but I don’t know if that’s like [inaudible] I don’t know, like a Namine. It’s pretty chill. Right? She’s pretty chill. That’s the second one. And she’s only in there for, like, a minute. They fridged their own character. Anyways. Thank you so much for sharing your Dopamine Trampoline. Yeah, that was great. We’ll have to, like, get together and watch, like, a Goofy movie and other chill Disney things. The next time I’m over there, you’re here. Like, whatever. 

Kayt:

Yes, yes, please. I love seeing my babes. 

Jordan:

For sure.

Lex (01:17:44):

We love you so much. Thank you so much for coming onto our show.

Jordan:

[Inaudible] your art and your journey. 

Kayt:

And I hope that I gave a little insight on dyslexia and maybe if someone listening to this has dyslexia or may think, like, I don’t understand this. Like, hey, maybe you might have dyslexia, get tested. See. And if you do, then there are steps to take. Just find yourself. That’s my biggest thing. 

Lex:

As always, none of us are doctors or therapists or any sort of licensed technician. We can’t tell you what to do with your brain or your body. But if you do have questions about lived experience with ADHD or dyslexia or dyscalculia, feel free to reach out to us or now Kayt.

Jordan:

Before we do all the sign off do you want to tell everybody where they can find you and your fabulous art? 

Kayt (01:18:35):

So literally you can find me on any social media under the name Soldraws. That’s S-O-L-D-R-A-W-S. Did I spell that right? 

Jordan:

Yeah, you did.

Kayt:

Okay. Thank you. It took me a second. Soldraws on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Ko-fi, YouTube. That’s where you’ll find me, not that hard. I just draw a lot of podcast fan art, a lot of Percy Jackson. If you’ve watched for a second, you’ve probably seen my art floating around somewhere. Yeah. And that’s where you can find me and I’ll have commission and fill up soon. 

Jordan:

So get in on that. It’s hard to get a slot.

Lex:

It is, it is. It’s very worth it. 

Kayt:

There we go. 

Jordan:

Amazing. And we will share all of that on our respective social medias so people know where they can join the Kaytlin Forbes Fan Club, which I founded.

Kayt:

[Inaudible] you know, you have those rights. You’ve known me the longest. So you definitely have. You’re so sweet. 

Jordan:

Join us. It’s a wonderful place to be. 

Kayt:

There’s a lot of laughter.

Jordan (01:19:36):

Adoring Kaytlin. I think it’s about time for us to go eat some tacos. So shall we sign this one out? 

Lex:

We shall.

Jordan:

All right, this has been Or, Learn Parkour from Wholehearted Production Company. 

Lex:

You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and most other places cool people listen to podcasts. 

Jordan:

Special thanks to Krizia Perito for our wonderful cover art. You can find her at Petalhop. That’s P-E-T-A-L-H-O-P on Instagram and Twitter and Etsy and all up in the internet. 

Lex:

Yeah. Thank you as well to Tom Rosenthal for our intro and outro, There is a Dark Place off of the album Keep a Private Room Behind the Shop. 

Jordan:

You can follow us on the sosh meeds @OrLearnParkour on Twitter, @wearewpc on Instagram, and at wearewpc.com. 

Lex:

You can find all of those links as well as links to our sources and transcripts in our episode description. 

Jordan:

And if you enjoy this podcast and want to hear more of it, don’t forget to subscribe or follow or click the yes, please give me more button.

Lex (01:20:36):

And on top of that, you can also support the show by sharing it on social media, with friends, with family, go out on the street and just yell about it. That might work. And uh, you know, if you’re feeling up to it and you’re so able, we do have a Ko-fi. You can find the link to it on our website, our Twitter and our Instagram and our link trees on those sosh meeds.

Jordan:

Outro question? 

Lex:

So what’s your favorite, like, iteration of Donald Duck? Like, I feel like if we all go around, but I don’t know if I know enough about Donald Duck now that I’ve asked that. Do you have one? 

Kayt:

Um, my favorite iteration is probably, you know what? I am just going to say the newest DuckTales 2K17 re-sparked a love of DuckTales and Donald Duck in a lot of younger people, which is great. You need to love him. He’s wonderful. I think that that’s a good, that’s a good one. You guys do not have to have one, it’s okay. 

Jordan:

Well, I’m about to have a very stupid and possibly embarrassing question. Is, does Donald Duck play Scrooge McDuck or is that a different duck?

Kayt:

It’s a different duck. All the family history is right here. It is a different duck. Are we blowing worlds today?

Jordan:

We’re just blowing minds. Wow. I thought it was like a Muppet situation where, like, Donald Duck played Scrooge. I was wrong. Lex, do you have anything?

Lex:

Hey, can you, can you wait like a minute until the podcast is over? God, I love her, but she has been up my ass probably ‘cause you’ve been gone. So she doesn’t have anyone to bother, like, all day, every day. So she has been very, like, this week she’s just been like a goblin, but okay. Uh, oh, I was going to say, like, I don’t really have a favorite Donald Duck, but I do have a favorite Goofy and it’s, like, the Goofy costume and the fountain while Nobody by Mitski plays in the background. Don’t we all just feel like Gofy, Gofy?. Don’t we all just feel like Goofy, floating in a pool, listening to our hot girl summer depression mix, which is just Nobody by Mitski on repeat. 

Kayt:

Yeah, definitely. All right. Well, we got to go do hot girl shit. 

Jordan:

We got to go do some hot girl shit, so-

Lex:

Gawrsh, Mitski.

Jordan (01:23:06):

All right. I’m Jordan.

Lex:

I’m Lex.

Kayt:

And I’m Kayt.

Jordan:

And this has been Or, Learn Parkour. We’ll see you later.

Lex:

Bye.