Shiny Epi People
Shiny Epi People
Updates from Bertha Hidalgo!
I believe in summer through September! Here is a fourth summer bonus episode for your enjoyment! And I have a treat with the hilarious and sweet Bertha Hidalgo. Bertha was my guest back in 2020, and so many of you loved her episode then. Today's will not disappoint! Bertha and I talk about her appearance on Dancing with the Stars (local version!), managing anxiety, valuing family during Covid, and holding your breath for 4 minutes. We get updates on fungo bats, baseball, mixed drinks, and baby carrots!
Lisa Bodnar:
What no one knows is that we are just sitting here smiling at each other.
Hello, shiny epi people. This is Lisa Bodnar. Welcome back to the show. I'm so happy and so honored that you are here listening today. You can find out more about the show on Instagram or Twitter. We're @shinyepipeople. And if you would like to donate to the show financially, please consider going to my Patreon, Patreon.com/shinyepipeople. I've mentioned before in the last couple of weeks that there are hexagon stickers from the show. It shows the show's logo. I am selling those, and if you would like to buy one of them, please send me an email, shinyepipeople@gmail.com. I've loved getting these orders, not just because they're orders and the stickers are going out, but also because I've gotten the loveliest messages from those of you who have ordered. And it has really brightened my day. And it has helped to motivate me to continue doing this show.
If you're someone who has been on Twitter, I have noticed lately that epi Twitter, which is where a lot of us have connected, has been much quieter lately. I think because, well, at least for me, it's because I think the discourse was not what it used to be. The feeling of community wasn't there. And I've noticed now that when I post about the show on Twitter, the posts get much less engagement. And so that has made these emails from you so much more special to me. Because as I've told you before, this is a lot of work on top of my everyday life, and hearing from you that you love the show and what you love about it from people who I've never met before, who I've never even interacted with or heard their names before, this is just really wonderful. So thank you all for sending these emails.
Today, I have another summer bonus episode for you. I think this is maybe the third or fourth that I've put out through the regular podcast feed. These all appeared on my Patreon in advance and I still have another two to go. I've decided, at least for now, that I'm going to continue doing weekly episodes including once I start season two. And I'll be starting season two with my buddy, Jaimie Gradus. And I'm going to try to keep weekly going until maybe it becomes too much, but for now, I've lined up a lot of really fun guests and I think you're going to be excited for season two. I am very excited for season two. It's really been nice to be motivated again, to get back in touch with all of you. Today, I have a treat for you. It is an interview, an update interview, with Bertha Hidalgo. Bertha appeared on the show back in 2020. And she is delightful, as always. I hope you enjoy this chat.
Bertha Hidalgo:
How are you? Sorry I look like a hot mess express. I've been going back to back since 8:30 this morning.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. You never look like a hot mess express.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I look like the full ride.
Lisa Bodnar:
No, you always look fresh and gorgeous.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Me and my white t-shirt. I'm trying to find my new uniform and I think it's going to be white t-shirts and pearl earrings.
Lisa Bodnar:
And is this, when you go back to work, are you going to be wearing this?
Bertha Hidalgo:
I think so. Yeah. I've been researching comfortable white t-shirts.
Lisa Bodnar:
Of course you have. Yeah, okay.
Bertha Hidalgo:
And so then I'm like, okay, I could go a white t-shirt and whatever bottom. And they look really good under suits, so I could also keep my white t-shirt and suits. Or my alternative I think is going to be a black t-shirt because then I can do all black with a pop of accessory and still look chic.
Lisa Bodnar:
Will you tell me what t-shirts you're buying? Will you email that to me so that maybe I can try your look?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes.
Lisa Bodnar:
So why would you say you're a hot mess express when you're wearing your hot white tee?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh because, look, I'm in pajama pants.
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh, you are.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Stripy purple.
Lisa Bodnar:
I love it.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I almost wore my red lipstick for you today, which you look fabulous in.
Lisa Bodnar:
I'm wearing mine just for you. I mean, I have Birkenstocks I'm standing in, so it's not like I'm looking really good from the neck down. I'm really not.
Bertha Hidalgo:
What do you mean? They're so fashionable these days.
Lisa Bodnar:
I know, right? Hello.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Hi.
Lisa Bodnar:
It's so nice to see you.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Likewise.
Lisa Bodnar:
I miss your smile.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Aw, thanks.
Lisa Bodnar:
And I'm really happy that you would come on with me and say hello again.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh my gosh. I was dying to do so because you just bring so much joy into my life and I always laugh so much when I talk or text with you. But I was like, this is going to be a perfect end to my day because today was just, like I said, not only back to back, but there were some big asks that I was going... I had to present on these results that I had been working on to a big team of collaborators and this big DEI taskforce that I'm a part of. It was a lot of brain power today.
Lisa Bodnar:
Yeah.
Bertha Hidalgo:
This is good.
Lisa Bodnar:
You don't need a brain right now. That's the beauty of talking to me. Just put your brain, turn it off, put it to the side, take it out, let it have sleep. And just instincts, that's all you need right now.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Let's be clear that that only holds true. when we're talking about shiny peppy people.
Lisa Bodnar:
Shiny peppy. Yes. Okay. I would like to know updates in your world.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
First, give me your updates. And then I have some follow-up questions based on our episode.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. Hold on. I called you Bertha in the entire last episode.
Bertha Hidalgo:
That's okay. If I am in an all English-speaking environment, then I say Bertha.
Lisa Bodnar:
You do?
Bertha Hidalgo:
I do, yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. If I'm in a Spanish-speaking environment, then I say "Berta."
Lisa Bodnar:
"Berta."
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes, yes.
Lisa Bodnar:
How do you sort of say it in between? How would I say your name in a way that was respectful of your culture, but I don't have your accent? And if I try, I'll sound like a fucking dumbass.
Bertha Hidalgo:
No, you did it just right. You said-
Lisa Bodnar:
I know, but I can't just be like, "Berta." I can't do that.
Bertha Hidalgo:
You can call me B. All my friends call me B.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. We're done, we're done. Give me your updates.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Let's see. So I somehow acquired-
Lisa Bodnar:
An STI?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Can you imagine? But when I worked in Fauci's lab, at one point I thought I had HIV based on the lab work that I was doing.
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh gosh.
Bertha Hidalgo:
And I don't know if I had convinced myself or I had some other viral infection, but I literally had fevers on and off for two weeks. I was so afraid to tell anybody because I was so convinced that I had it. I called, back then we had the phone book, so I somehow found a phone book or something, looked on the internet, I don't even know, some doctor that appeared to be listed that was local to me. And I called him, and I was like, "I think I have HIV." And he was like, "Why?" And I was like, "Well, I work in this lab, and this is what I'm feeling." He's like, "You need to go to the doctor." And I was like, "I know, that's why I'm calling you." In retrospect, why didn't I go to the people in my lab? I was all by myself in DC, I didn't tell my parents, I didn't-
Lisa Bodnar:
But didn't you probably think that you would feel a little shame, that you did something in the lab that was wrong, that you gave yourself HIV somehow?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah, I probably-
Lisa Bodnar:
Yeah. You could have been laughed at and... No, I get that.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. Because I was in a P3 and you're not supposed to chew gum and I would chew gum all of the time-
Lisa Bodnar:
Wait, in Fauci's lab?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Don't say anything.
Lisa Bodnar:
You would chew gum in Fauci's lab?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. We had our gowns and everything and-
Lisa Bodnar:
Yes.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah, I did occasionally chew gum.
Lisa Bodnar:
No wonder you thought you gave yourself a virus.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I know. I was 22 years old. I was a baby.
Lisa Bodnar:
You're like, "I have to chew gum. I just have to."
Bertha Hidalgo:
So yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh, I love it. Okay.
Bertha Hidalgo:
So I acquired-
Lisa Bodnar:
You acquired.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I acquired students. Students want to work with me, which has been so amazing.
Lisa Bodnar:
Of course they do.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh my gosh. I hadn't had students to date because I've never had money. That's been amazing. We submitted a grant, a team of us, and it got seventh percentile, so fingers crossed.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay, but you need to say that you were one of the MPIs.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I am an MPI. I have a grant. I got seventh percentile.
Lisa Bodnar:
Yay. That's so amazing. Oh my gosh. That's basically going to get funded.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I hope so. My science communication grant is going really well.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay.
Bertha Hidalgo:
The response... So that I got funded from the American Heart Association. That has led to a number of collaborations, including some campaigns with UnidosUS, which is a Spanish language organization that is really looking to combat mis and disinformation on the interwebs. And so it led to collaboration with them, collaboration with the ad council. And so the work that I've been doing on social media has generated just really great working relationships with people that are trying to do the right thing.
Lisa Bodnar:
Do you have a sense of what kind of impact that's made already?
Bertha Hidalgo:
That's a good question. I think that's something we're trying to figure out, is like, how do you evaluate the impact this is having? And also, how do you make it valuable for the institution? Because I think it remains something that is sort of frowned upon like, "Ooh, why are you spending your time on Facebook?" You know what I mean?
Lisa Bodnar:
Yeah.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Or Instagram. And so I think the impact for my world has to be, in some ways, more often transformed into the traditional ways that we measure impact, which is publications and additional grants and that sort of thing. So I think that's coming, but a lot of the legwork has to be done first, and that's kind of the phase that we're in.
Lisa Bodnar:
That sounds awesome.
Bertha Hidalgo:
The only other update is that I've been invited to be on the local version of Dancing With the Stars and I accepted.
Lisa Bodnar:
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Okay, let's back up. So does that mean that you dance?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. I was invited to be one of the stars, quote unquote, because of my presence on social media and the media appearances that I've done with relation to COVID and whatever. Anyway, so it's a organization that helps women and their kids be housed when they are without a home. This is a fundraiser that they have hosted every year. They invited me as a star to be paired with a professional choreographer that-
Lisa Bodnar:
Love it.
Bertha Hidalgo:
... will put together a performance at the Alabama Birmingham Lyric Theater in October. Fingers crossed that with Delta that can happen. So when I was in LA, salsa was really big. And so I got into salsa dancing and then I went to college and I tried a bunch of other dances. I faked my way into... What's that Christmas production?
Lisa Bodnar:
The Nutcracker?
Bertha Hidalgo:
The Nutcracker. So I faked my way into The Nutcracker and I was-
Lisa Bodnar:
Isn't The Nutcracker ballet?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. I was one of the flowers.
Lisa Bodnar:
You faked your way into ballet. Ballet is not a thing you can fake.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Well, you just had to point your feet and follow the choreography. And so I auditioned and I got in.
Lisa Bodnar:
Amazing.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I also did Baile folklórico at Stanford, which is Mexican folkloric dance, with the big skirts, the big, beautiful, colorful skirts.
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh, beautiful. Okay.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. So I did do that at Stanford. And then when I graduated from Stanford, I went to DC to work in Fauci's lab, and I made $11 an hour and I needed another job because I needed spending money and to pay loans, so I took a job as a dance teacher at a local ballroom studio. And a lot of these ballroom studios will be like, "Yeah, as long as you can learn these steps and teach them to someone else, we'll hire you." So I did.
Lisa Bodnar:
What'd you learn?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Well, I learned all the dances. So cha-cha, foxtrot waltz, rumba, swing.
Lisa Bodnar:
Did you learn the electric slide?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay, good.
Bertha Hidalgo:
But I haven't danced probably since 2002.
Lisa Bodnar:
How did they know that you danced? Or did they not?
Bertha Hidalgo:
I don't think they knew
Lisa Bodnar:
They just reached out to you because you don't really need to know how to dance in advance. Is that right?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. So they just reached out to you, and were like, "Actually."
Bertha Hidalgo:
Actually-
Lisa Bodnar:
I can do all those dances and more.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Actually, this episode can't air until we've had the [inaudible 00:14:59], so nobody knows that I had prior dancing experience.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. When, when is it going to air?
Bertha Hidalgo:
No, I don't know. It can air before, but I think the fundraiser performance or whatever is October or something.
Lisa Bodnar:
So does that mean that you have to practice and do you have a partner and who's the partner? Were they just assigned to you?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes. The partner is-
Lisa Bodnar:
Is it someone that you like or has BO or...
Bertha Hidalgo:
I don't know.
Lisa Bodnar:
You always worry about that.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I know. Yes. He's a ballet dancer, actually. Interestingly enough, I think he's part of the Alabama Ballet Company. I did correspond and he said, "Do you dance?" And I said, "Well, I know these styles." And he said, "Well, I'm a ballet dancer." And so I was like, oh, I mean, I just did that one stint where I faked my...
Lisa Bodnar:
In The Nutcracker.
Bertha Hidalgo:
In The Nutcracker. So I don't know what's going to happen.
Lisa Bodnar:
And are people paying to come watch this? Is that how it's raising money?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. So you're going to be starting to advertise this on your Instagram soon.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I will. And I told him that we have to win, so it better be good.
Lisa Bodnar:
Right.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I mean, no pressure.
Lisa Bodnar:
He had no idea what he was getting into when he got assigned to you. He's like, "Oh, this will be fine. Some lady who does stuff on Instagram, she's an influencer, whatever."
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Then you're like, "Actually, I have a PhD, and actually, I'm super competitive, and actually, we're going to win because I'm good at everything I do."
Bertha Hidalgo:
That's totally probably how I came across.
Lisa Bodnar:
You know what, even when I don't think I'm coming across like that, I am coming across like that.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh my gosh.
Lisa Bodnar:
I don't mean it.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I know, but why are you going to do it if you're not going to aim to win, right? You got to win.
Lisa Bodnar:
Yes. Right?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. So there we go.
Lisa Bodnar:
And, okay, do you know if this guy's vaccinated?
Bertha Hidalgo:
That's a good question and I plan to ask.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay, good.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I also have considered antigen testing every time that we have to practice and suggest masking.
Lisa Bodnar:
You're going to be really close to each other.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Exactly. So he may not love me for that, but I'm going to suggest it.
Lisa Bodnar:
Or you could plug your nose and cover your mouth and then take one big breath at the beginning and then not release any air.
Bertha Hidalgo:
It is a minute and a half dance, so-
Lisa Bodnar:
People do that. People do that without any problem. They do. If you learn how to tell your diaphragm to calm the fuck down, you can hold your breath for eight minutes. I listened to this podcast on this-
Bertha Hidalgo:
What?
Lisa Bodnar:
... this woman who was super afraid of drowning because her sister drowned. So she went to this guy who teaches people how to do... What's that called, free diving?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Where you go down and hold your breath for a really long time.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh my gosh.
Lisa Bodnar:
He taught her how to stay under for four minutes or something.
Bertha Hidalgo:
What?
Lisa Bodnar:
And she explained the whole process. And basically, your diaphragm is freaking out, trying to get you to breathe, and you just have to calm your diaphragm down. And then it learns to just be like, "Oh, right. We're just not going to move right now." And she did it.
Bertha Hidalgo:
What?
Lisa Bodnar:
And now she kind of overcame this fear, because she'd always think about her sister drowning. Anyway, sorry, it's a little bit dark. I just went a little dark.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I mean, if I could channel that type of energy on a day-to-day basis, I would not be the hot mess that I am. Let's just be frank. I would not suffer from the panic attacks and anxiety-fueled days.
Lisa Bodnar:
Do you feel like that? Really?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. Some days.
Lisa Bodnar:
Really?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I've gotten better. Actually, through your show, I found Kemi Doll.
Lisa Bodnar:
Yes.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Isn't she amazing?
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh my gosh, is she amazing.
Bertha Hidalgo:
After listening to her podcast, I signed up for the newsletter. But in the podcast, her voice is just so calming. It was like I was in a spa and there was this voice that was speaking reason to me.
Lisa Bodnar:
Yeah. She has a great voice.
Bertha Hidalgo:
She does. She has a great voice for this kind of thing. So she was saying all the right things, and through listening to her podcast and sort of the way that she explains things, I have been able to train myself to not freak out about the sort of day to day to-dos that I have. It used to overwhelm me. And then the other thing that helped is I went home this summer. My family is always a source of grounding. They're a source of strength and energy and I love them. So I was able to go and see them in California this summer.
And my dad is a mechanic. And after talking to him this time, I don't know why I hadn't realized it before, but he's in charge in some ways of people's lives. If he messes up on their car as a mechanic, and something happens on the road... he has to be very accurate in the work that he does. That has to be stressful. And people need their cars back, so they want it back in a timely manner. His job in many ways I had never realized was also really stressful. And then I'm like, I'm literally sitting at a computer-
Lisa Bodnar:
I know.
Bertha Hidalgo:
... all day, doing population-based research, that no one's going to die if I make a mistake on this email. And so anyway, that gave me a lot of perspective. So I have been able to sort of calm down and not panic and gain control over my emotions so that I can move forward and just execute the things that I need to do.
Lisa Bodnar:
I'm so proud of you. That's such hard work.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Thanks. This time last year, in retrospect, I would say, I was not in a good place. I mean, I was not in a good place. And then I read Untamed by Glennon Doyle-
Lisa Bodnar:
And tell me what it did to you.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I was like, "I am a cheetah." Like I...
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh my god.
Bertha Hidalgo:
And I took notes and I underlined. And again, it was one of those things where I just felt like the text was speaking to me. That was a great shift in paradigm, no doubt. I think I've been on this journey of self-discovery and I think COVID really brought a lot of this to light because I have also learned not to let my happiness be dependent on other people. I have to be happy first. And there's this Instagram reel that says, "My job is to like myself first and your like is extra." I was like, "Yes."
Lisa Bodnar:
Yes. Yes.
Bertha Hidalgo:
So it has just... Yeah, it's been this journey of self-discovery, of really understanding sort of where my place is in the world, in my family, in my social circles. What fulfills me, how that all feeds into my work, and how I let work affect me more than anything, because that's where I spend the majority of my time. And once I sort of, I think, started to ground myself is when a lot of these things have started happening, like the students and additional opportunities. I know sort of the way... I don't quite know what the path holds. I don't quite know yet where I'm going. I have an idea, but I don't know exactly how I'm going to get there, but I did, I think, ultimately realize I just need to do me and I need to not worry so much about what happened in the past or what's going to happen in the future. And I do need to be more present in the day.
Lisa Bodnar:
Can I ask you how that has translated into your home life?
Bertha Hidalgo:
My husband will still tell you that everything stresses me out because I am the more organized, the more, you know, that person. COVID made me realize how not in control I am. But we are more open to like, what are the fun things that we can do that make us happy, that don't depend on what other people think or what other people want to do. Our big motto now is "family is everything." And the world is going to be out there... Especially with the kids, we talk about this all the time. The world is going to try and tear you down and break you apart and your family is going to be what you can rely on at all times. That's how it should be. And so we have to support each other. We have to encourage each other. We have to be each other's biggest fans. I had this realization one time before when I was going into... I was getting a colonoscopy because I was really sick.
Lisa Bodnar:
I don’t mean to laugh. I’m like, Yes, let's talk about colons now.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh my gosh. In 2015 or 2016, I can't even remember, I swear I was dying. I lost 25 pounds in three months and it was all anxiety. It was all stress. I was new in my faculty position. My kid had had probably RSV, had developed pneumonia, had to be hospitalized. It was a big to-do. It was a challenging year. And I think all of that manifested as weight loss and anxiety and... Anyway, so I had a colonoscopy. And I remember checking in, thinking, "Gosh, if I am dying, all this material stuff doesn't really matter." And after COVID, I-
Lisa Bodnar:
Wait, was your colon okay?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes. I was totally fine. In fact, when I went to the specialist... He's an older gastroenterologist. And he sat me down on the bed. He said, "So you have young kids, you're in your first year on the faculty." He's going through the list of things that I wrote in my chart or whatever. He's like, "You need to find ways to control your stress. Your stress is manifesting physically and that's what you're feeling. There is nothing wrong with you." He was like-
Lisa Bodnar:
Your diagnosis is stressed out working mom.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah, yeah. Exactly.
Lisa Bodnar:
Whose stress manifests in her gut.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I was like, "What?" I've been in and out of doctors for three months and you're telling me I'm stressed.
Lisa Bodnar:
And I put myself through a colonoscopy, I drank that stuff.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. [crosstalk 00:26:52] I was like, "Stressed out? Something's wrong with me. You didn't find it." I started setting timers. I allow myself one hour of truly engaged Instagram time, Twitter time, Facebook time. I set different timers for the apps and it really helps me sort of just do a quick scroll if I haven't allowed myself a lot of time. And then that's it. My phone will gray out the icon and I can't even tap on it, so that has been really great for my mental health too, I think.
Lisa Bodnar:
That's really great. I've done the graying out, and then you can override it, and I'm just like, "15 more minutes." And then it's like, "Are you sure?" And I'm like, "I'm sure." Can I ask you a few updates from your show?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Have you learned to make mixed drinks?
Bertha Hidalgo:
No.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay.
Bertha Hidalgo:
No, but-
Lisa Bodnar:
Because when you talked with me, the word you used was a "mixed drink master."
Bertha Hidalgo:
My husband became a mixed drink master.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay, someone did.
Bertha Hidalgo:
I did not become a drink master.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. Well, whatever. No. I mean, we all set goals during the pandemic that we did not achieve.
Bertha Hidalgo:
We did not achieve.
Lisa Bodnar:
What other facts about your children's sports have you gathered?
Bertha Hidalgo:
You asked me about the bat that they use at practice. That was the one-
Lisa Bodnar:
Was I wrong?
Bertha Hidalgo:
No, it's-
Lisa Bodnar:
The fungo bat?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah, the fungo bat. It stumped me.
Lisa Bodnar:
Yes.
Bertha Hidalgo:
When we'd spoke, we were at the end of the fall season.
Lisa Bodnar:
Yes.
Bertha Hidalgo:
And what the team did was buy him a new fungo bat for practice.
Lisa Bodnar:
The coach?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Whose idea was this?
Bertha Hidalgo:
It was not my idea, but I was like, "Oh, we just talked about this with Lisa." It's this nice, shiny, big bat that he uses for practice now.
Lisa Bodnar:
See, otherwise, B-
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes.
Lisa Bodnar:
You would have been like, "What is this giant weirdo bat?"
Bertha Hidalgo:
I know.
Lisa Bodnar:
And then people would have been like, "She doesn't even know what a fungo bat is." And then, did you impress people with your knowledge?
Bertha Hidalgo:
I didn't tell anybody.
Lisa Bodnar:
No, come on. That's where you went wrong.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Well, I did realize that after taking my two siblings, my two sisters to baseball games in LA... So we went to a Dodgers game and we went to an Angels game... that I was able to tell them what was happening and what was going on. And they were dismayed to learn that going into the bottom of the ninth, because they were tied, that they would have to sit through extra innings because-
Lisa Bodnar:
Were they just bored out of their minds? Yeah, yeah.
Bertha Hidalgo:
They were so bored.
Lisa Bodnar:
Baseball is kind of a drag, yeah.
Bertha Hidalgo:
But then when we were at the Dodgers' game, Max Muncy hit a walk-off home run and won the game at the bottom of the ninth, so it was so exciting and emotional. Then they were like, "Okay, that was kind of fun."
Lisa Bodnar:
Yeah. When there's action in baseball, it's really fun.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. But, you know, otherwise...
Lisa Bodnar:
I need to ask you, did you ever learn how to score a baseball game?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes.
Lisa Bodnar:
You do?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah, of course. I've had to do it since tee-ball.
Lisa Bodnar:
Do you mean that you have the notebook and you-
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
... keep track? Really?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
Like 5-4-3 double play?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. In the rec leagues for the younger kids, you use the book. For my son who does some travel team and now he's getting older, we use an app.
Lisa Bodnar:
Okay. I'm super old school. I used to do this when I was in eighth grade. I would go to Pirates games and I would keep score just like all of the 60-year-old men.
Bertha Hidalgo:
You have to because some people cheat.
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh. With the kids?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah.
Lisa Bodnar:
The coaches or the-
Bertha Hidalgo:
The parents. Because they'll have a parent keep a book for the opposing team. You always want someone to keep their own book if you're keeping a scoreboard. And no one wants to volunteer to do it, so inevitably, I just learned to do it and I just would do it all season.
Lisa Bodnar:
I love that.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. And then, the other thing is no one talks to you during the game because you're keeping the book.
Lisa Bodnar:
Is that good?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yes. I don't want people to talk to me. I want to pay attention.
Lisa Bodnar:
I just don't want people to talk to me because I don't like other parents. I would totally volunteer to do that.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Well, that's why I volunteer to go in the press box because no one is there.
Lisa Bodnar:
When we talked last, you gave me a number of very poor takes on food, including that fountain Diet Coke was so great.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. And carrots.
Lisa Bodnar:
The baby carrots.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Interestingly, my mom only uses regular carrots, not baby carrots when she cooks.
Lisa Bodnar:
So when you visited?
Bertha Hidalgo:
It was only giant carrots in the fridge. And when we got back from LA, my oldest was like, "Mommy, can you buy carrots? Like the big ones."
Lisa Bodnar:
Who's right now? Okay, keep going.
Bertha Hidalgo:
So I had to buy the big carrots and he literally would peel his carrots and-
Lisa Bodnar:
Do you know why?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Why?
Lisa Bodnar:
Because it was so much better than those baby carrots. It's so true. Smart boy.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Oh my gosh. I guess. Yeah, so we did adapt those.
Lisa Bodnar:
I'm so glad that you would share all this stuff with me. The fun stuff, the serious stuff, the exciting work accomplishments. All of it.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Thanks.
Lisa Bodnar:
You're the best.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Thanks. You're the best. You've brought so much joy and light into so many people's lives. I literally, I kid you not, would look forward to Saturday mornings because that's when I would listen to your episodes and it was my favorite thing to do for months.
Lisa Bodnar:
Oh, you're so sweet. Thank you.
Bertha Hidalgo:
You're welcome. It's the truth.
Lisa Bodnar:
Thank you so much for doing this with me.
Bertha Hidalgo:
Always. For me too.
Lisa Bodnar:
Although I never dress professionally anymore.
Bertha Hidalgo:
You don't?
Lisa Bodnar:
I just don't. I mean, why?
Bertha Hidalgo:
I know.
Lisa Bodnar:
I went to the office in flip flops today. Who the fuck cares?
Bertha Hidalgo:
Yeah. You can't even see people. You've got to be in your office with the door closed.
Lisa Bodnar:
Right, yeah. And even after that, I just feel like there's a sea change happening.
Bertha Hidalgo:
There is so much a sea change hence-
Lisa Bodnar:
Hence the t-shirts.
Bertha Hidalgo:
The t-shirts.
Lisa Bodnar:
Wow. We circled back there. That was amazing.
