Artwork for podcast Unfuck Your Life: An Audio Drama
9 - Mariann's Nimble Life Unf*cking (ft. Mariann Foot)
Episode 9 • 20th March 2025 • Unfuck Your Life: An Audio Drama • Jen deHaan
00:00:00 00:25:26

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Tog interviews Mariann Foot about how she unf*cked her life after losing her business, the legendary shop in Grackleton, Thimble's Nimble Notions. From her business loss, Mariann felt she lost her identity. Learn how Mariann started out fresh working out of her own basement, and found happiness.

Credits, contact, and more info

This comedy audio drama / audio fiction series was created, written, improvised, edited, and produced by Jen deHaan. All dialog in the episodes is fully improvised.

Voices: Jen deHaan (any voices by guests are noted above)

Artwork, logo, and graphics: Jen deHaan.

Transcript: For each episode on their page on this show's page at StereoForest here.

More show info/contact: stereoforest.com/uyl

Support the show (one time tip): stereoforest.com/tip

Review this show: On Podchaser here www.podchaser.com/unfuck

Chat in Discord about this show: discord.gg/qBQCJP8Swf

Comedy and audio fiction newsletter: StereoForest.com/subscribe

Follow on social media: YouTube, Bluesky, TikTok

This podcast is a StereoForest production. Made and produced in British Columbia, Canada.

Mentioned in this episode:

Toque and Trowel! Coming soon from StereoForest.

Ready to dig in? To find nourishment and strength right in your own kitchen and garden? Stereoforest.com presents Toque and Trowel, hosted by Jen deHaan in Canada. This is your weekly podcast for practical gardening tips for easy to grow food that works. Learn how to whip up affordable, low-effort plant-based meals that are healthy and taste amazing. And discover ways to tend to your mental well-being in today's world. Find resilience in the connection between Kitchen, Garden, Mind. Join Jen deHaan for Toque and Trowel. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts, or visit StereoForest.com to learn more.

Transcripts

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This week on the show, Tog interviews Marianne

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Foote about how she lost her business and

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her identity and then unfucked her life by

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starting out fresh out of her basement.

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You're here with Tog Chesterfield on 101.7

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FM The Grack.

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I'm trying to pick up the pieces and

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fix up my life after I hit rock

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bottom, and I'm taking you along as I

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try new things and I also try to

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embrace life.

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Unfuck your life with Tog Chesterfield.

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So welcome to the show.

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Right now it's um it's oh it's uh

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5 0 5 pm.

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I'll be with you while you do your

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commute or while you make your dinner tonight

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or maybe while you doomscroll while you're wondering

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if you've permanently damaged the nerve endings in

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your thumb or maybe if that thing is

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just temporary.

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I'm your default guest for your evening tonight

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because you tuned into 101.7 FM.

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Now in the previous show, I played you

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my interview with Pastel Pumpernickel and that interview

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was done for the very first edition of

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the Grackleton Gazette.

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So that first edition went out listener and

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I was sent this whole parade of celebratory

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gift bread baskets actually um maybe that's a

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bread bread gift basket or is it just

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maybe it's just a bread basket or bread

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baskets that were a gift or maybe it

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was just gifted bread and maybe it's not

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a parade it was like more of a

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succession really because they came like separately and

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parade is all anyways listener um that whole

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thing actually caused my last roommate who you

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met in the last show uh Keith Evergreen

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to move out and Keith said that um

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that they had like a childhood aversion to

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Easter hats so they had to leave.

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Anyways uh Marianne Foote then moved in and

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has taken the room in my uh in

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my place here and actually tonight you'll hear

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an interview that Marianne and I had for

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the next edition of the Grackleton Gazette and

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I'm going to share it with you here

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as a preview.

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So Marianne's full name is Marianne Thimble Foote

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and she is the host of the Mailbox

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Decor show here on 101.7 FM the

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Grack.

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It was actually a show after this one

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last time we were together and Marianne goes

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by Marianne Foote for the show.

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I think she dropped the thimble but you

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might know Marianne from her previous business.

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She was the owner of Grackleton's most successful

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craft store Thimble's Nimble Notions which specialized in

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sewing supplies and craft materials and also workshops.

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Marianne ran the store for 20 years until

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a series of events led to its closure.

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In tonight's interview you'll hear Marianne and I

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discussing what happened that led to Thimble's Nimble

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Notions closing down and how Marianne managed to

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unfuck her life afterwards.

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Now this is Unfuck Your Life with Todd

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Chesterfield.

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I'll be back with Marianne's interview after a

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short message.

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Unfuck Your Life with Todd Chesterfield.

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Back to the show.

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So I'm going to play my interview with

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Marianne Foote.

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It was recorded for the Grackleton Gazette's upcoming

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second edition.

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Marianne and I met at Thick Raven Beak

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Park which as you might know is near

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the old haunted mines in Outer Grack.

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Here's our interview.

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So thank you for meeting me and letting

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us all know how you unfucked your life

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Marianne.

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So I wanted to know did you drop

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Thimble from your name?

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Thank you Todd.

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Only for my radio show Marianne Foote is

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my radio name.

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And Marianne Thimble Foote.

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That is my name.

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Oh um okay.

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So you ran your shop that I'm sure

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everyone listening knows about Thimble's Nimble Notions here

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in Grackleton until 2017 when it suddenly shut

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down.

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It was on the front page of Grack

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News for uh for three weeks.

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Yeah three weeks.

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So what happened Marianne?

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Well it all started when there was this

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Reddit thread.

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It was about how the store was really

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old and dusty and really boring.

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Let me see that was um that thread

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was in 2015.

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It started right near the beginning of 2015.

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It wasn't 24.

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No it was 2015.

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And after that I just I started saying

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yes to everything.

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To spice things up because I didn't want

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to be seen.

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I didn't want my beloved store to be

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seen as old and and dusty and and

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boring and all the things that they said.

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So I just started doing custom orders of

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all kinds of handmade products.

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Like really unique things.

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I and I did these special workshops.

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I tried to take neat things that I

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saw on the internet and I would make

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these workshops all around.

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How to make them.

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How to DIY.

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I mean DIY was really really popular back

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then too.

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And I did these I did events.

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I I learned how to you know talk

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in front of a crowd and larger crowds

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for these events.

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And I learned I did all the decor

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and I had some real real bangers.

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Bangers as they say.

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They do say.

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I like that word bangers.

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It's like mash.

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And I just tried to do anything I

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could think of Tog.

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Anything.

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Anything someone suggested at the counter in the

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store.

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Oh maybe you should do this and I

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would do it.

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I would do it even if I didn't

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if I didn't think it was a good

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idea.

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I just did it because they said they

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wanted that and I thought well I don't

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want to be boring.

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I don't want to be dusty.

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I don't want to be you know into

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some old boring store.

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Oh.

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So I did whatever they said.

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Well did it work Marianne?

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Well it worked for uh what I mean

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what came up in that reddit thread.

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It certainly worked.

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It worked.

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I it made the news.

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I was no longer boring.

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I mean I was in the news.

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You can't be old and dusty and boring

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store if you're making the news all the

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time even here in Grackleton.

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It made people happy.

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Oh.

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But Tog listen it wasn't great for me

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Marianne.

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I guess that's why we're here.

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Well it is.

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So well why didn't it work?

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Why wasn't it great?

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Well Tog I I ended up doing all

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these product lines.

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They just didn't they didn't really line up

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with what I was good at.

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I tried this dog costuming product line like

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a whole thing at Thimble's Nimble Notions.

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Thimble's Nimble Notions your store.

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Yes Thimble's Nimble Notions.

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It's Thimble's Nimble Notions.

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Yeah Thimble Nimble Notions but I never had

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a dog.

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So I kept trying to do all these

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sewing projects and sewing for dogs is actually

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a really hard one because of all the

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extra legs and all the breeds.

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Some are short some are long and the

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body or the legs all the different places

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are different lengths and I tried and I

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just failed to understand really what people like

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dog people what their preferences were for costumes.

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I mean and I'm essentially Tog I'm essentially

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a crafter who specializes in non-bedazzled items

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with a somewhat arbitrary interest in outdoor suburban

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decor for mid-range ranch houses.

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I like dogs.

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You know Tog it's just the ones I

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don't understand are the subset the dogs that

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wear the costumes those dogs anyways.

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Another thing that happened is I had a

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problem with workshops that I ran with like

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overlapping workshops or really just even getting to

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them Tog.

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I'm just really bad with a calendar honestly.

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I'm also really time blind so I'm not

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sure why I really even got into the

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workshop thing Tog but I had leads.

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I had leads at the community center the

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Supra Appreciation Club the Grackleton West Chapter.

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Right the good one.

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I had leads with the school system and

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of course through my shop.

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Of course.

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I just never accounted for my time blindness

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my calendar thing oh the driving time too

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my car.

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What do you drive?

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I drive a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.

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It's a really average car really average as

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a car it's just a mess.

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It was a mess when I got it

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in 2006 really.

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Did the Supra Appreciation Club workshop have you

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teach them how to decorate seat covers?

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Oh the Supra Appreciation Club yes I did

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a from scratch crafting project for the Supra

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gear stick like the gear shift yeah but

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what that Tog it actually just started a

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whole new beef at the Supra Appreciation Club

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between the owners that had a automatic model

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and the owners with the manual models because

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the gear shifts are really different between them

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so as soon as they started making those

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projects so it was mayhem.

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They really identified depending on whether or not

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they drive a manual or an automatic it

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turns out oh it was actually much worse

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than the 1984 beef between East and West

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Grackleton about what was the best Supra year.

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Oh I remember that yeah oh that was

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rough.

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Yeah it was actually it was way worse

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than your potato incident Tog.

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Oh we're not going to get into that.

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That's fair all right so taking on uh

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unprofitable custom projects that was also a problem

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like your project Tog actually the one I

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did for you to make those um John

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Bon Jovi wigs for your promotional potatoes for

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the Tad TikTok thing.

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Oh that was so fun you were so

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good.

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I'm not really too sure what that was

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all about but I learned not to ask

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questions after the Supra Appreciation Club had me

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sign that NDA about the aftermath after the

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stick shift cover adornment ceremony thing.

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Oh that's all I can say actually because

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of that NDA it's ironclad.

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Oh well then I won't tell anybody else

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anymore and we won't get into that if

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you have an NDA but oh that was

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uh that was a lot of punches um

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so when did you know it's time for

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a change?

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Well I knew it was time for a

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change when the Supra Appreciation Club of East

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Grackleton asked me to bedazzle the seat covers

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actually.

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Oh I knew there'd be seat covers at

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some point.

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Sure but I want to make it very

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clear to your listeners or readers or whoever

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I do not bedazzle.

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Okay uh so you closed the shop?

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Yes then Cole's Books moved in.

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Right so um what did you do then?

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I mean after your shop closed what did

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you do?

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Well Tog I uh I started saying no.

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I started setting my boundaries.

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I started working in my basement.

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Oh that's good.

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I was uh teaching and I was selling

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the supplies and the crafts that I, Marianne

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Thimblefoot, wanted to sell.

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Oh Thimble.

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Yes but only sometimes.

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Only sometimes.

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Oh okay uh I haven't really figured out

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the pattern yet since we're on the radio.

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Radio name.

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Anyway I only took on specialized workshops.

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Okay.

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From that point on and I made myself

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a specialized alarm system too.

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I let the cats into my bedroom at

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night and they always wake me up and

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that doesn't make me grumpy so I can

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go to my workshops happy and I also

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have this really complicated system of alarms.

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I guess I can't show you because you're

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not at my basement but um I had

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this complicated system of alarms so I don't

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miss any of my workshops and then I

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only have to walk downstairs because I do

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them all from my house.

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I either have people come to my basement

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or I use zoom so and that's so

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I never have to rely on on my

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very average 2005 Chevy Cobalt and my alarms

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are all they're all decorated too.

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Oh that's nice.

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I wish I could show you Tog but

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uh they're not they're not bedazzled.

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Got it.

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Listeners if you're listening to this and Tog

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you'll write about this right?

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You'll say no bedazzling.

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I'll put a call out.

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Anyways I set up the workshops to be

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more human.

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They're a lot more me Mary Ann Foote.

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No Thimble.

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And I set up some boundaries.

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No okay no Thimble on the workshop.

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No no Thimble on that one.

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Um so it's a not not a very

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safe car either.

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The Cobalt.

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The Cobalt had the highest vitality rate in

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the small four-door car class actually.

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Right back in 2005.

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Oh even when it was new.

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Probably still.

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Yeah maybe.

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Um so what was the result of making

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those changes?

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Setting your boundaries for yourself?

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Well I made more meaningful connections.

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I had fewer customers and but I saw

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people more often.

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And I had time for my personal projects

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like the mailbox show that I'm doing on

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on the radio.

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And uh actually can I plug that?

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Of course you can Mary Ann.

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It's called Mailbox Decor.

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It's on at 6 p.m only once

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a month but it's a great show.

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I think people will really like it.

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Then I do higher quality work as a

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result because I have the less stress.

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I'm much closer to Mary Ann Thimble Foote.

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No Thimble.

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I still don't get the pattern.

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But I I find that I'm you know

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I'm I'm identifying more with the connections that

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I'm making within Grackleton.

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And that uh that makes me feel closer

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to myself.

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So I'm just doing some of my most

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creative crafts ever now.

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Even I was at my store for 20

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years.

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Talk 20 years.

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And I was never doing my best work.

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And now I'm just doing my best work.

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I've really rediscovered my original passion for crafting.

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The original passion before I even had the

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store.

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Honestly Mary Ann I couldn't even imagine decorating

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alarm clocks while stressed out.

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And so uh Mary Ann are things better

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now?

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Now that you've had some years that have

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passed?

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Well Tog I'm doing the hard work now

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to continue on with that.

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To to work on identifying myself through my

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new work that I do.

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And all the connections that I make.

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And the people that I see.

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And and my output.

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The creative things that I do instead of

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where I work.

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Letting go of being you know Mary Ann

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Thimble Foote of Thimble's Nimble Notions.

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That's really hard.

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Yeah.

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I miss the shop still.

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Right.

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I miss being known as a Grackleton shop

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owner.

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Yeah.

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And being in the news a lot quite

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honestly Tog.

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But I really I am happier.

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Oh good.

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I consider my life unfucked.

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That's what the show's about.

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I I think that my new identity is

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from that unfucking.

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Oh.

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To be honest.

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And it's getting stronger every day.

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So hopefully soon I won't miss the store

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still.

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And miss being that shop owner that I

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identified with for so long.

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But I honestly Tog I'm not quite there

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yet.

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Oh well you'll get there hopefully soon.

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So you closed Thimble's Nimble Notions.

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Do you have a name for your new

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business at your house Mary Ann?

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Foote's Fanciful Fiber Fiefdom.

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Foote's Fanciful Fiber Fiefdom.

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Yes.

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Foote's Fanciful Fiber Fiefdom.

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Oh.

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Foote's Fanciful Fiber Fiefdom.

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Fiefdom.

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Not Fife-dom.

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Fiefdom.

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Foote's Fanciful Fiber Fiefdom.

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I love it.

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And that was my interview with Mary Ann.

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And now it's time for the weather.

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Tonight's weather for your drive at five with

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unfuck your life is brought to you by

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Boone's Tackle N Thrift.

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We have whatever you might need in the

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way of footballs and stuff.

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Even some footballs I thrifted.

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But also other stuff I thrifted and like

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found around Grackleton and stuff.

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That's uh Boone's is saying that.

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Get ready for the weather.

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Tonight Grackleton is expecting some snow in higher

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elevations between 8 and 8 30 p.m.

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You just learned all about the weather.

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And that's it for the weather on your

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drive at five from Boone's Tackle N Thrift.

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We have a lot of stuff here.

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You should come to the store and see

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what I have.

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I'm Boone's.

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Thanks.

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I close at 5 p.m. instead of

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6 on Thursdays by the way.

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It's TOG talking not Boone's.

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Unfuck your life with TOG Chesterfield.

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Back to the show.

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So we learned a lot from Mary Ann

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who taught me that a lot of us

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try to show our worth as a human

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being through our productivity.

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Things that we produce or projects that we

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take on.

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But talking with Mary Ann has also made

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me realize that I really identified and still

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identify as TOG.

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Who worked at Apocalypse.cloud. Who ran all

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the social media accounts there.

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And had all the potatoes.

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But I never really connected with people that

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I met there and knew there.

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Even though I ate lunch with them all

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the time.

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And we chatted.

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And we passed the time on breaks together.

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Sometimes we went on walks.

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And I thought I was friends with him.

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But then I left and it turned out

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that we kind of weren't.

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That can be for the best sometimes.

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And lots of people say to be human

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but don't get too connected at work personally.

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But I thought I did.

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And then when I left I realized nope.

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But despite that I still identified as that

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thing that I was.

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Even though it wasn't much of who I

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was.

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::

Because I left it just disappeared right away.

490

::

So I knew I had to figure out

491

::

who I really was now as me TOG.

492

::

Not my work personality or my productivity or

493

::

what I did.

494

::

And not to be worried about what other

495

::

people thought.

496

::

Like if they thought that I was a

497

::

failure.

498

::

Because that analysis was only up to me.

499

::

And it sounds like that's what Marianne is

500

::

up to as well.

501

::

By doing her own thing.

502

::

Oh hi Marianne.

503

::

Are you settling into your room now?

504

::

Good to see you.

505

::

Hi TOG.

506

::

I just I want to thank you again

507

::

for letting me move in while I sponge

508

::

paint my basement.

509

::

Right.

510

::

Now that's so useful that we met.

511

::

I just quickly wanted to ask you.

512

::

Well I wanted to ask you about the

513

::

fridge.

514

::

Oh of course.

515

::

I got your note but I do have

516

::

a query.

517

::

Okay.

518

::

But first I just wanted to ask you

519

::

if it's okay if I use my hot

520

::

glue gun.

521

::

Hot glue gun.

522

::

Sure.

523

::

Why not?

524

::

Are you okay if I use three hot

525

::

glue guns?

526

::

Three.

527

::

Sure.

528

::

Why not?

529

::

Are you okay if I use all four?

530

::

One more than three.

531

::

Okay.

532

::

Sure.

533

::

That's excellent.

534

::

If you want to join me you can.

535

::

But I'm going to warn you that there

536

::

is no pain greater than hot glue gun

537

::

on your arm hair.

538

::

It will have to compete with the pain

539

::

in my heart.

540

::

It's surprising.

541

::

Anyways to the fridge I wanted to know

542

::

if you were okay if I had a

543

::

little bit of extra space.

544

::

But I'll make it worth your time.

545

::

Well it's not really time is it?

546

::

I'll make it worth your it's are you

547

::

uncomfortable if I take a little bit of

548

::

extra space?

549

::

No it's I'm comfortable with that Marianne.

550

::

Okay well then it's not gonna be worth

551

::

your discomfort.

552

::

Yeah I wouldn't be uncomfortable.

553

::

I guess I'm gonna say it'll be worth

554

::

the intrusion on your fridge space because I

555

::

was gonna go get a whole bunch of

556

::

vegetables including potatoes.

557

::

I consider a potato a vegetable.

558

::

Do you Tog?

559

::

This will be interesting.

560

::

Yes I do actually.

561

::

That's a good question Marianne.

562

::

Do you really?

563

::

Well okay.

564

::

Uh-huh now you're interviewing me.

565

::

Cool then I'm gonna make the best potato

566

::

vegetable gratin that you've ever had in your

567

::

life.

568

::

It's using vegan cheese.

569

::

You will not know the difference I swear

570

::

on this table right here.

571

::

Oh the blue one.

572

::

Interesting.

573

::

I'm just gonna move this beanie baby out

574

::

of the way.

575

::

Is this a Tog?

576

::

Is this a potato?

577

::

Yeah it is actually and please don't ask

578

::

why it's there.

579

::

I swear yeah right uh you get it.

580

::

Okay well I'm just gonna go back to

581

::

the room.

582

::

Also Tog I'm gonna teach you how to

583

::

do proper embroidery.

584

::

I love that the towels are embroidered but

585

::

I'm gonna show you a new stitch.

586

::

Oh it's like a private workshop.

587

::

This is just gonna be the best time.

588

::

I hope a really slow sponge painting.

589

::

Oh yeah me too.

590

::

All right bye Tog.

591

::

I'm just gonna close the door.

592

::

Oh thank you Marianne.

593

::

So that's it for this week's episode of

594

::

the show.

595

::

Thank you to our guest this week Marianne

596

::

Foot or Marianne Thimblefoot.

597

::

I'm not too sure.

598

::

You can find her show Mailbox Decor here

599

::

on 101.7 FM The Grack but for

600

::

now stay tuned for Dive N with Boons

601

::

at 6 with host Boons Sevier.

602

::

Treasure hunting tips and tales of thrifted glory

603

::

in and around Maple and Third Avenue or

604

::

underneath the houseboat community I sometimes snorkel under.

605

::

Again that's Boons not me.

606

::

You have been listening to Un-Fuck Your

607

::

Life with Tog Chesterfield a Stereo Forest production.

608

::

This episode was written, directed, edited, produced and

609

::

all voices were by Jen DeHaan.

610

::

You can find all show notes and sign

611

::

up to get notified about new episodes on

612

::

StereoForest.com

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