Zayden Simpson
Transcript
Unknown: [00:00] So we're recording, and when the interview finishes, you just press that button again, and there you go.
Lauren Parker: All right. Well, I guess we'll get started. So today is, God, what is it?
Zayden Simpson: The 10th of May.
Lauren Parker: [00:13] 10th of May. Thank you. All right. So today is the 10th of May. My name is Lauren Parker, and this is...
Victoria Bittrick: [00:19] My name is Victoria Bittrick.
Lauren Parker: And can you also state your name?
Zayden Simpson: [00:23] My name is Zayden Simpson.
Lauren Parker: Yeah. And so I see you have the cards there. Was there one that you particularly wanted to start with? We can really jump wherever, but...
Zayden Simpson: [00:32] Are we doing all the cards?
Lauren Parker: No.
Zayden Simpson: I mean, I can if you need me to, but the ones that really did stand out to me were childhood and school.
Lauren Parker: [00:40] Okay. Wait, let's start with childhood then, and then probably transition from there.
Zayden Simpson: Can I just go one question, just answer it?
Lauren Parker: We can kind of go. Maybe we'll start with the first one.
Zayden Simpson: Okay.
Lauren Parker: [00:52] Yeah, if you have any information you'd like to share, or if you just wanted to start with your earliest memories.
Zayden Simpson: All right. Well, I'll just go ahead and say my full name, Zayden Simpson. If you want to do middle names, Zayden Thomas Amon Simpson, whatever.
[01:04] I'm 18. Esmont is my hometown. I've lived here my whole life. And yeah, my earliest memory… It's hard. I guess my earliest memory is probably preschool here, you know? Like, it's not... I can't really remember it much, but I remember one time we were going out to recess, and I had to use the bathroom. But I guess I used the bathroom a little too late. When I came out, no one was in the classroom.
[01:36] And then I walked outside, no one was there either. So I was kind of just wandering around on my own as a little kid, like four years old, which is very dangerous. But yeah, it's like my earliest memory. I can't remember much after that or before that, so...
Lauren Parker: Yeah?
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.And obviously, this was here at school in, like, 2011, something like that. But yeah. And who was out and about in the morning and afternoon? What does that mean? Like...
Lauren Parker: [02:05] Yeah, I think... So we don't have to go through the questions in order. We can kind of talk about whatever you want to talk about. But for that question, it's more so about just, like, you know, in your family, like whoever you live with at home, like when you'd wake up, you know, who was the first one up in the morning? You know, what kinds of things did you do? Just kind of like an introductory question for you to talk about.
Zayden Simpson: [02:24] Okay, so...
Lauren Parker: Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: [02:25] So usually early in the morning, it was probably my mom, because she usually was the one that waked me up, especially when I was younger. You know, she would find my clothes, iron them, this, then, the third.
[02:36] Yeah. And then in the afternoon, I guess no one was at home, because everyone was either at work or school.
Lauren Parker: Right.
Zayden Simpson: But, yeah. And.
Lauren Parker: [02:47] Yeah, so what did your family look like? Or what does it look like now? Like, did you live at home with your mom, dad? Do you have siblings?
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.So when it goes back to, like, my earliest memory, my mom was pregnant with my younger sister. So technically, we had four. It was just four of us, but now we have five, obviously. But, yeah. That's kind of what it looked like at that time. But, yeah.
Lauren Parker: [03:10] Yeah. And so, I know you mentioned you lived in Esmont, you know, your whole life. Did you have, like, extended family that lived around you?
Zayden Simpson: [03:18] Yeah. But most of my dad's side, if not all, lives out here. Esmond or Chesnut Grove, whatever. But, yeah. That's on my mom's side. They're not really from this neck of the woods. But, yeah. That's mostly my dad's side is out here. So.
Lauren Parker: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: Those are the people that I've met first, really, because they're, like, here where I live.
[03:38] So I know them first, obviously. But, yeah.
Lauren Parker: [03:42] Do you have any memories? Like, and they don't have to be, like, childhood memories either.But of just, you know, visiting family, of anything big that happened in your family, in the community?
Zayden Simpson: [03:52] Just a lot of things. Like, you know, seeing people for holidays, like Easter, Thanksgiving. Even, like, sad events, like funerals. Yeah, or, like, graduations or at the school or, you know.
[04:08] We used to, I don't know if they still do it, but they do, it's like, they used to do Easter egg hunts over at the park for Easter. And it'd be, like, church at the park or something like that. But that was a really big event around here as well.
[04:21] You know, you'd see people that used to live out here. They come back, or they do live out here. But a lot of people used to come back for that, you know, one event.
Lauren Parker: That sounds really nice.
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: [04:31] I guess maybe similar to that. It sounds like there's always, there was always, like, a lot of regular events, like, happening in the community.
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: [04:39] You see things like that. But do you remember, kind of, the places that you hung out or, like, to go or do for fun when you were younger in the community? Or anything related to, like, kind of entertainment? What did you do for fun?
Zayden Simpson: [04:53] Well, what I did for fun in Esmont, I guess, was, like, go to the park or, you know. I mean, most of my fun, like, obviously, I would, like, on the weekends, I would have, like, flag football games. Or, you know, I'd just play around in the yard.
[05:08] But, you know, out here, I guess most of my fun came from school. Because, like, obviously my parents were busy, so I didn't have much time outside of school to really, like, do things. But, you know, like, playing sports at recess or after school or hanging out with my friends or, like, you know, we'd have, like, our wrestling figures and stuff. We would play with them every now and then.
[05:28] So that was a pretty cool thing to do. But that was pretty much what I, you know, did, you know.
Lauren Parker: [05:35] Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: Other than hang out with family.
Lauren Parker: Of course.
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: [05:37] So you mentioned, like, you know, sports and kind of, like, hanging out with friends.
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: But regarding school, was there any, like, extracurriculars or, like, subjects that you really liked in school?
Zayden Simpson: [05:50] Yeah. I mean, I've always been, like, a history person. I really like math. I mean, I can write, but I don't prefer writing. Writing is really annoying to me. I know I got to learn how to do it anyway. But, yeah, I really like learning history.
[06:02] I think a lot of that stuff, like, stuck with me, like, even until today. You know, like, you know, what Native Americans, where they're from, all that stuff. And in extracurriculars, like, yeah, I've always been playing sports ever since I can remember.
[06:18] You know, like I said, like, in recess, we would always, you know, play football. It would get really competitive. I don't know why. Like, look back at it, it didn't need to be that serious. But, yeah, it was really fun. And it kind of, like, propelled me to where I am today. Like, you know, I wanted to be an athlete, you know, and I wanted to, like, keep striving for that. So I wasn't going to let my younger self down.
[06:41] Like, I was going to keep trying to be that. So it really helped, you know.
Lauren Parker: Yeah. And so it seems like, well, you already mentioned, like, school being a big part of your life.
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: [06:42] So I'm thinking, yeah, were there any teachers or, like, coaches that you had, maybe even not just at Yancey, but in middle and high school that, yeah, really impacted, like, who you are today?
Zayden Simpson: [07:05] Teachers, I guess, like, all of my teachers really impacted me, you know, because I was a growing boy. So obviously, when you're growing, you kind of absorb everything and things that people say and lessons.
[07:17] Like, you know, just like, actually, this is in second grade. I remember, because this is actually my second grade class from, believe it or not.
Lauren Parker: Oh, wow.
Zayden Simpson: [07:27] And in second grade, I remember I had, like, an opinion on it. I forgot what it was. I don't know if it was, like, a sports team or something like that.
[07:35] And these people were, like, on me for, like, having that opinion. And, you know, as a little kid, you're like, oh, man, no one agrees with me. So I guess I'm going to agree with everybody else. But, like, that was the biggest, you know, that was a pivot moment in my life where I realized that, you know, you can't listen to what everyone else says, you know, your opinion matters.
[07:53] And, you know, whether it's a good opinion or not, like, you should stand on that. And also, like, you know, don't make a decision based on what other people think, you know. And, you know, as far as teachers, a lot of teachers have taught me, like, a lot of valuable lessons.
[08:09] I mean, yeah, it's just so many. Because, like, a lot of stuff has happened at this school. So, I mean, I can't really explain it. But, like, they're definitely, you know, special people. And, you know, they taught me a lot of things.
[08:21] Like, I was, like, having manners, you know, saying good morning to people, you know, being, having etiquette and just, like, being respectful. Like, not even just, like, a teacher, just, like, people in general. And, yeah.
Lauren Parker: [08:35] Yeah. Well, I'm wondering what it is. It's so cool that this was your second grade class.
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: [08:39] You know, maybe it's not depending on what your school experience was like. But I'm wondering if you could kind of describe for us or just think a little bit about, you know, what it was like to attend Yancey and what it's like to kind of come back now, you know, after. Now that it's no longer operating.
Zayden Simpson: [08:55] Yeah. It definitely feels a lot different. The school feels a whole lot smaller. It definitely felt bigger when I was here. But, yeah, attending Yancey, I think, you know, looking back at it, I definitely took it for granted because it's, like, five minutes down the road. And I have to go, like, 15, 20 minutes to go to school.
[09:13] But, you know, I definitely took it for granted. It was definitely special. I met some of my best friends at this school, and I'm still connected with them to this day. And, you know, it's just, like, lifelong bonds and things like that.
[09:24] And it's something that, you know, a lot of us cherish because, like, this was, you know, our school and it was in our area, you know. And it sucks that we didn't get to graduate from here, but at the same time, you know, we were the last ones here. So, you know, that kind of holds, like, a special place in our hearts.
Lauren Parker: [09:37] Okay, so you were the last class to leave Yancey. Maybe you could talk more about, like, what it was like to, like, hear that you're – and maybe what grade you were when it was.
Zayden Simpson: [09:46] Yeah, I was in fourth grade when that happened. I remember, you know, earlier in that year, they were talking about, like, you know, oh, they may shut the school down, this, that, and the third. And I'm thinking, like, that's not happening. Like, everybody says a lot of things.
[10:00] There's no way that's going to happen. And then I remember they had – they were, like, counting down to, like, the big, like – they were, like, voting on whether they should close it down or not. And then I remember the next day, they were, like, yeah, they're closing the school down.
[10:12] I'm, like, dang, that's crazy. Like, they're really going to, like, close the school down now. So, you know, it kind of – kind of, like, going towards the end of the year, it kind of, like, slept through my spine, I guess, a little bit. But then once it started to get down to, like, you know, late May, early June, like, it's, like, oh, man, this is really, like, it.
[10:29] Like, the school's not going to be open next year. And, you know, it really sunk in when they took us fourth graders to go tour the schools that we were going to go to next year. And it's, like, oh, man, like, this is really not – like, we're going here next year, not Yancey. And, like, you know, it kind of was, you know, kind of like, eh, I don't really like this. But, you know, then again, like, it was also, you know, it was a good experience in the bad, you know, like, getting to meet new people.
[10:58] You know, like, I went to Scottsville after Yancey closed. And, you know, I met some of my best friends at Scottsville as well, you know. And I also learned a lot of lessons there as well. And, you know, but, yeah, it was definitely, you know, a bittersweet moment. But it was – you learned a lot from it, though.
[11:15] And it also taught us, like, you know, cherish what we have at a young age. You know, that's a hard lesson to learn when you're, like, little, you know. As long as to, like, not everything is going to be around forever. So, yeah.
Lauren Parker: [11:25] Yeah. So you touched on this a little bit, but what was the transition like into Scottsville, right? Like, did a lot of your friends come with you?
[11:32] I know you mentioned making new friends. But is there anything you remember about, like, even that first day of, like, you know, walking into the first day of school?
Zayden Simpson: [11:39] Honestly, you know, so the first day of Scottsville, you know, I guess over the summer, like, everybody kind of – like, Yancey closed were, like, we're like, okay, we're past that. Like, we're going to a new school, you know, we're not thinking about, you know, the past anymore.
[11:52] The first day of Scottsville, it was pretty exciting because, you know, like, obviously everyone in, you know, elementary school loves the first day of school. You get to have, like, your new clothes, shoes, and this, whatever. And you get to meet, you know, teachers and new classmates and stuff like that. But it was really cool.
[12:08] I'd actually went to the Scottsville Boys and Girls Club a year prior because my dad worked there. So I'd already met some of those people anyway. So it wasn't like I was meeting totally new people.
[12:19] But there were still other people I hadn't met before. But, you know, I met some people. "Oh, yeah, I know him." And so it was pretty cool, you know, being in a new environment. And fortunately enough, my fifth-grade teacher had worked here last year. So it wasn’t a hard transition.
[12:35] But, yeah. And it was kind of sad also because not everybody went to Scottsville. Others went to Red Hill. So you wouldn't really see those people for a year. But when we went to middle school, obviously everyone would come back and meet each other again.
[12:49] But, yeah. Okay.
Lauren Parker: Well, yeah. Victoria, did you have a question?
Victoria Bittrick: I was just going to kind of ask more about, like, middle and high school maybe.
Lauren Parker: Go ahead.
Victoria Bittrick: [12:59] Oh, yeah. I guess, yeah. What middle and high school did you go to? Or do you go to?
Zayden Simpson: I went to Walton Middle School. You know, I go to Monticello High School currently.
Victoria Bittrick: [13:07] Yeah. Are there any memories that stand out to you from, like, those times or, yeah. Anything that you told me?
Zayden Simpson: [13:14] From Walton, I guess, like, the biggest thing is obviously COVID. I mean, like, yeah. Obviously, that's – everyone – I thought the world was going to end. I'm not even going to lie.
[13:25] I thought, like, what was going on, like, this big sickness. Like, I was like, is there going to be zombies next? Like, what's going on? But that was definitely a big shift and everything, you know, seeing the community kind of, like, you know, shut down.
[13:40] Not just out here, but it's, like, everywhere. But, yeah. But I definitely – you saw a lot of people coming together within the community and other communities, just, like, being able to support each other and things like that. But, yeah.
[13:54] And high school? I don't know. I mean, high school, I was – not until, like, my 11th grade year was when I started to, like, really be out there. Not, like, out there, out there, but, like, you know, being really, like, you know, communicative and talking to other people. But – because I was kind of, like, to myself, like, the first two years. But I guess high school was just, like, playing sports and also meeting those guys as well, you know.
[14:20] Like, in sports, like, you play with each other. You go through a lot of things. And, you know, that's how you make, like, really good bonds. You know, those are some of my best friends as well. And some of those guys are people that I went to Yancey with as well.
[14:32] So, yeah. And Scottsville as well. But, yeah. I met a lot of good people through sports and things like that. And that's probably, like, the biggest thing I got from high school as well.
Victoria Bittrick: Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: [14:43] And I'm sure it was nice to kind of, like, meet up with some of those people that you had, like, known. Yeah. It's definitely, like, nice again. Like, oh, I thought I wasn't going to see this person again. But, yeah.
Lauren Parker: Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: It was really cool.
Lauren Parker: [14:55] Well, I hadn't even thought about the fact that, you know, COVID would have been such a big part of, yeah, your middle and high school experience. I'm wondering if, or you mentioned, like, seeing the community kind of, like, come together and support each other during that time.
[15:09] But are there any other, like, memories that you remember from COVID, you know, good or bad, or just anything else that stood out to you about, like, being in Esmont during, you know, this time of, you know, such uncertainty?
Zayden Simpson: [15:22] Yeah. I remember the most thing because COVID was my eighth grade year. So my eighth grade graduation was a virtual graduation.
[15:27] So that's another graduation that's been altered from something I can't control. But I guess it was still, it was a weird experience. But, you know, it was good to know I graduated middle school. And what was the other question you had? Sorry.
Lauren Parker: [15:42] Just about, yeah, you mentioned, like, the community supporting each other.
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: [15:46] But just, like, what COVID looked like in Porter's or Esmont. Like, what kind of changed did you saw?
Zayden Simpson: [15:50] Well, honestly, I'd say that after Yancey closed, you started to see, like, a lot more kids kind of, like, moving away and, you know, people passing away. You know, kind of the community was kind of, like, you know, caving in a little bit.
[16:08] And then, you know, when COVID hit, it kind of, like, really, like, hurt the community a lot. You know, you started to see, you know, people getting really sick, you know, losing their lives and things like that. And it was a little sad.
[16:19] But then, like, you know, there's still that strong backbone in the community that was, like, heLauren Parkering each other, supporting each other, you know, giving people things like water, toilet paper, whatever they needed.
[16:29] There was, like, a central location for that, you know. And, yeah. I mean, I wasn't, like, out there to see it, but I knew that, you know, that stuff like that was going on. So, yeah.
Lauren Parker: [16:42] Well, yeah, I guess since you're lingering on COVID, I'm looking at this question. Are there any other, like, local or national, you know, worldwide events, maybe other than COVID or in addition to COVID, that you really remember, like, happening, you know, so far? Or does anything stand out to you on that front?
Zayden Simpson: [17:00] Just, like, in life or, like, here in the city?
Lauren Parker: Yeah, or just, like, anything, any moment where you're, like, like, some kind of local or world event that really stood out to you, like, in your childhood?
Zayden Simpson [17:11] Um, I'm trying to think, I'm trying to think. Give me a second, give me a second.
Lauren Parker: Oh, yeah. And no worries if you can't think of one. Like, I was even trying to think of one, and I was, like.
Zayden Simpson: [17:20] No, but there's, there's something. There's something. I know there's something.
Lauren Parker: Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: I don't want to try to, like, do high school, because obviously that's fairly recent. I'm trying to think back. I'd say.
Yeah, nothing really happened when I was young.
Lauren Parker: [17:40] That's okay. No worries.
Zayden Simpson: [17:41] I mean, like, obviously there's things that happened, but I was really young, so I didn't really have a, say, I didn't really have an opinion on it.
But I'd say in high school, I mean, one thing that really stood out was, you know, the one thing that stands out is, like, all, like, the school shootings, you know?
[17:56] Like, you're really not safe anywhere you go. And then it's not just in the high school, it's in college as well. And that's one thing that, you know, I've come to a realization, is that, like, you really got to be safe everywhere.
[18:05] Like, everywhere you go, like, there's no, like, for us to, you know, you're not, you have to always check your surroundings, you know? Because, like, becoming a grown man, like, obviously I'm going to the real world, so it's a lot of things.
[18:17] There's crazy things out there. So, you know, I have to be, like, really aware with things like that. Yeah, worldwide events. I mean, there's a lot of silly things. Like, Ya’ll know, Squid Games. Like, everyone's crazy about Squid Games. I don't know.
Lauren Parker: [18:34] I mean, it's a world event, right?
Zayden Simpson: Yeah.
Lauren Parker: Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: [18:38] And then, obviously, like, you know, I guess in elementary school, we like to dance a lot. And there's a lot of, like, trendy dances, you know? People would put on music and we would all, like, dance with each other. It was pretty cool. But, yeah.
Lauren Parker: [18:55] Yeah. I guess maybe along that note of just, like, I don't know, entertainment and hanging out. But you mentioned you had siblings earlier, I think. Or maybe that was just because I did your dad's oral history earlier. But what was life like at home growing up?
[19:11] Yeah, like, with your siblings? Or are there any memories with them that you remember?
Zayden Simpson: [19:15] So, I have two sisters. I'm the only son. So, it can be a little bit of a handful sometimes. But growing up, you know, first, it was just me and my older sister, Ayanna.
[19:27] It was kind of, you know, it was kind of, like, laid back, calm. You know, obviously, I would rely on her for a lot of things. You know, like, if I was scared to sleep in the dark, whatever, you know, little kid things that I'm not proud of.
[19:40] But, yeah, things like that. But then when my younger sister came around, I really, like, it flipped everything upside down. Like, I got the full sibling experience, you know, being there for each other and not being there for each other, you know.
[19:55] Because, you know, siblings don't always get along. But, you know, that also heLauren Parkers, you know, with growth, character growth, you know, that, you know, just, you know, things get a little.
Lauren Parker: [20:07] Oh, yeah. That was just the 20-minute timer.
Zayden Simpson: Oh, okay.
Lauren Parker: Oops. Wait, no, you go ahead.
Zayden Simpson: [20:13] Okay.But, yeah, things get a little twisted every now and then. But, you know, as I got older, I realized that, you know, you can't always, you know, argue with your siblings, you know.
[20:20] Because you're going to turn into adults. And, you know, when adults argue, that's a big deal. You don't want to see adults arguing and things like that.
[20:26] So, you know, I kind of try to stay away from all the conflict and drama. Because, you know, my sisters, they share a room, you know. When girls share a room, we can get a little hectic at times. And I try to stay away from it, you know.
[20:39] But it's cool to see that we're all, like, growing up and getting along in the world.So, yes. That's kind of how it was, you know. I wasn't really, like, a social person. I was more just, like, stay on the video game, you know. Just not say anything to anybody, you know.
[20:54] But obviously I grew out of that, you know. But, yeah.
Lauren Parker: [20:57] Yeah. All right. Well, we are at, like, 20 minutes. But is there anything else that, you know, you wanted to add? Anything you wanted to talk about that you didn't get a chance to?
[21:08] Again, 20 minutes is just, like, really a timer for, you know, your sake. But if there's anything else that you wanted to talk about.
Zayden Simpson: [21:15] I guess just, like, for the school one. I see you said, like, there's a few questions. Like, what did a typical school day look like for you?
Lauren Parker: [21:37] Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: That's a pretty interesting one. I guess it was kind of hard because, you know, looking back, I'm like, how did I wake up so early? I would wake up at, like, 6 a.m., 5 a.m.
[21:47] Just to be here at, like, 7 or whatever. And, yeah. Just, like, getting here, you know. You get in the breakfast line. You go to your class. You still be a little tired. But, you know, the day will go along. You get a lot of energy. You get tired again.
[22:03] You know. All that stuff.
Lauren Parker: [22:06] Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: And the follow-up question. I actually do have a, well, I don't know if it was the aisle of my school, but I have, we all did, like, we all, like, paint a brick on the wall.
Lauren Parker: [22:22] Yeah. I remember you asked about that. Is your brick out there?
Zayden Simpson: [22:25] Yeah. My brick is near the gym. But I did a bad color combination. It was, like, orange and red. You can't really tell what it says. But, yeah. It was pretty cool.
[22:36] And how it felt, you know, like I said before, it was, like, man, the school is really closing. We're about to move on in life, you know. Because it kind of, like, it felt like a graduation.
Lauren Parker: [22:45] Yeah.
Zayden Simpson: But we weren't really done with elementary school. But it felt like we were leaving something behind, as you would in the graduation.
Zayden Simpson: [22:51] Yeah. Yeah. And childhood. Sight, sounds, and smells. Smells. Definitely, like, grills.
Lauren Parker: [23:03] Mm-hmm.
Zayden Simpson: [23:04] When you come into school, whether it be breakfast or lunchtime, you would smell, like, the lunch food or the breakfast food. Or another thing, sounds. When it came to, like, school, there would be, I remember, for after school, we would all come into the gym, and they had, like, a, it was, like, an attention getter.
[23:28] It wasn't, like, a, you know, one, two, three eyes on me. It was, like, a. Oh, yeah. It was, like, a command. I think it was, like, “Club", and then they'd say, and then the kids would say, “Yancey," or something like that.
[23:38] That's a sound I remember a lot. Obviously, like, kids screaming, hollering at recess, things like that. But, um, yeah. Um, and then, I guess the last thing, um, a time I got in trouble. Um, okay.
[24:00] Um, I mean, it was kind of a weird thing. Uh, it was people arguing on the playground, I guess. And I don't know why I got involved, but I did. And, you know, things got a little physical. And, you know, I didn't get away with it. And I got suspended from after school.
[24:19] But, you know, that's just one of those lessons I learned to, like, keep staying in your own lane. You know, mind your business, you know. But, um, yeah.
[24:27] And what did you want to be when you grew up? Oh, yeah.This was an important one that I saw earlier.
Lauren Parker: Okay.
Zayden Simpson: [24:31] Like I said, I always wanted to be, you know, an athlete. Like, one of the first things I started, like, had a love for was sports. Like, in anything, like, even before I started school, like, I would always play sports video games. I would watch sports. I would, you know, try to play them. You know?
[24:47] And just being, like, here at the school, you know, we would play sports all the time. That really, like, drove that ambition even more. Like, I can be a really good sports player whenever I want to be, obviously. Because, you know, you would look at TV. You would have, like, idols and things like that. So, yeah.
[25:03] That is honestly, like, the breeding ground for all of the stuff that I'm doing right now, which is kind of special. So, yeah. And how has Porter's and Esmont changed during your lifetime? Like I said, it was very, like, populous when I was younger.
[25:19] But, obviously, as I got older, you know, it kind of, you know, people pass away. People move away. So, it's kind of just, like, I'm not saying it's, like, dead. But it's not the same. But it's still here, though. You know? So.
Lauren Parker: [25:31] Yeah. Changing.
Zayden Simpson: [25:32] Yeah. But, yeah. I think that's about it.
Lauren Parker: [25:36] All right. Yeah.
Lauren Parker: [25:37] Well, thanks for sharing. Those were.
Zayden Simpson: Of course.
Lauren Parker: I mean, you forgot about those questions. But I'm glad you got to share. And I'm going to have to look at your brick. I'm sure the color combination is.
Zayden Simpson: [25:45] It's, like, orange. It's, like, orange, red, and yellow.
Lauren Parker: [25:48] Do you want to turn it off?