The thing about living in an apartment or renting a room is… you have to deal with other people.

Depending on how the building is laid out, it’s almost like living with strangers. If your next door neighbor accidentally starts a fire, your home could burn too. If the person above you has a flood, it’s very likely that you’ll be dealing with that problem as well.

Not to mention, what if your neighbors in this same building are jerks? Or they have 20 drunk people at their place for a party? Or they practice their drums at 3 am?

These are all things to consider, and you might not even be able to research all of this before moving in.

My guest today is Tiffany. She was in a different country, and she rented a room to live in. There were other rooms, and other people living in those rooms, and they were mostly nice. But there was one guy who was not so nice. And he was pretending to be the landlord.

Tiffany’s socials:

Her podcast on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bittersweetlifepodcast/

Her podcast on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thebittersweetlifepodcast

Tiffany’s Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyparksrome

Tiffany’s book:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071HD869D

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/210

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

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iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

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Sponsor deals:

Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase.

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS 

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

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Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners.

The question for this episode:

What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve found in someone else’s home?

Links for this episode:

Using hollowed-out fruit for ice cream bowls:

https://www.tastingtable.com/1616069/hollowed-out-fruit-ice-cream-bowls/

Dogs eating condoms:

https://pawp.com/dog-ate-a-condom/

Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:

https://MeredithForReal.com

To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

Sponsor deals:

Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase.

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine you’re out in public, just going about your day. Let’s say you’re in the grocery store.

And as you’re pushing your shopping cart down the aisle, you notice a tall man, maybe 10 feet ahead of you, looking at the items on the shelf. And suddenly, that man collapses to the floor.

What would you do?

Most people don’t really know what they would do, until a situation like that actually comes up. Some people just freeze. If it happens in a busy place, some people will just keep walking. There’s this interesting psychological effect called diffusion of responsibility – that just means that everyone who sees something like this happen just assumes someone else will help. But the end result is that no one takes action.

But then there’s another type of reaction. There’s the person who sees an emergency like that, and their first thought is “what can I do to help that person?”.

My guest in this episode is Kevin, and that was his reaction. He was just finishing up a round of golf and was walking back to the clubhouse. And he saw that someone was on the ground.

This is a Flashback episode. Kevin told this story on the podcast 5 years ago. So afterward, you’ll hear what he’s been up to since then.

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/209

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase.

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve had more than 200 people come on this podcast and share a story of something crazy that they’ve been through. If nothing else, I’ve learned one thing. Life can change in an instant.

For Dan, he’s just enjoying the outdoors on a trail in Alaska, and suddenly he’s on his back with the snout of a grizzly bear in his face.

Amy was just at work in her office in Oklahoma – then just seconds later she’s trapped under a pile of rubble and a bomb blew up her building.

Kennedy was just driving her car – then she loses control and finds herself literally hanging by her leg from the power line.

These are all regular people, just like you and me. They were just going about their life, and suddenly they got a big scary surprise.

My guest today is Carly. She actually lives not far from me so we recently met in person. Carly was out with her family once, just driving around looking at the neighborhood Christmas lights.

And then she spotted someone who was in desperate need of help.

Find CPR training near you with this website:

https://Atlas.heart.org 

Zach’s podcast called A Rising Tide:

https://zachkidd.com/podcast-a-rising-tide

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/208

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase.

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners.

The question for this episode:

What always makes you laugh?

Links for this episode:

The poop knife story on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MuseumOfReddit/comments/ke8skw/the_poop_knife/

Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:

https://MeredithForReal.com

To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

Sponsor deals:

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS 

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott tells the story of Stephen Slevin.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have a few scary moments in life that we’ll never forget.

You know what I mean – a time when something is happening, or about to happen, and you know that the outcome could be really bad, and it’s happening so fast you don’t even have time to react. It’s almost like you’re watching a movie, and just waiting to see how it’s gonna end.

One moment like that for me was several years ago, when we lived up north. Winters in Maine can be pretty brutal, and part of that is that sometimes the roads can be icy and dangerous for driving.

I remember one day I was driving on a rural country road, just two lanes, and the weather conditions were not good. There was some snow, but I also knew that the road had patches of ice. So I was moving along pretty carefully.

Then I saw coming my direction was a small pickup truck. But he had already hit a big icy section and he was coming downhill toward me. And he was just spinning in circles. This guy had absolutely no control, just doing 360s as he came down this hill in my direction. And there really was nothing I could do either. I just figured “Ok, here we go, this is gonna happen I guess”. I wasn’t too concerned about getting injured because we weren’t going at high speeds – I just knew that a collision was about to happen.

But amazingly, as this truck finally reached me, he was somehow able to stay on his side of the road while he kept going in circles right past me. I watched in my rear view mirror as he eventually regained control, and we each went on our way. Just part of life when you live in a cold climate.

My guest today is Marsha. She had a moment kind of like that once. She looked up and saw headlights coming her direction. But it wasn’t a car coming at her. It was a plane.

If you’re in Monahans, Texas, go eat at Pappy’s BBQ – 1901 S Stockton Avenue.

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/207

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase.

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS 

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners.

The question for this episode:

What overused word or phrase are you sick of?

Links for this episode:

Corporate jargon:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDXnlVoRK9B/

Meredith’s episode about how cuss words become cuss words:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/78996692/ep-149-or-what-makes-a-curse-word-a-curse-word-swearing-science

George Carlin – the 7 words you can’t say on TV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyBH5oNQOS0

Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:

https://MeredithForReal.com

To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

Sponsor deals:

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s story takes place off the coast of Somalia, a country in Africa.

If you look at Africa on a map, you’ll see Somalia on the east coast, right on the water of the Indian Ocean. In fact, of all the countries in Africa, Somalia is the one with the longest coastline. And for the Americans listening, to give you an idea of how big it is, Somalia is almost the same size as the US state of Texas.

But here’s the thing about Somalia. It’s considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world. I mean, here in Florida, we have homeless people. Some of you know, I work with a group here to help the homeless population get the things they need. But in Somalia, literally half of the people in that country don’t have a home or any kind of permanent residence. This means there are millions of people who are desperate, and hungry, and they’re vulnerable to abuse.

And just on the north side of Somalia is the Gulf of Aden. This is a very popular water route for large ships carrying lots of cargo, headed either to or from the Suez Canal. In fact, each year there are around 20,000 of these ships passing by. That’s more than 50 ships every single day.

So there’s a certain sector of the Somali population who sees all this valuable cargo going by each day, and they see an opportunity to make money. These are modern day pirates. They see many of these big ships as easy targets. I mean if there’s a large cargo ship carrying manufactured goods, they just want to get from point A to point B. They typically aren’t equipped to fight off or defend their ship from being hijacked and held for ransom.

But today we’re going to hear a story from Robert. There was a time he was on one of those big ships, off the coast of Somalia. The pirates saw it as easy money. What they didn’t see was that Robert’s ship, the one being attacked, was a warship in the US Navy.

This is a flashback episode – Robert told this story on the podcast a few years ago. So hang around to hear what’s going on with him more recently.

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS 

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in Florida, we know about hurricanes.

My wife Jeanne and I will never forget Hurricane Elena back in 1985. That storm came into the Gulf of Mexico and just hovered offshore. There were instructions to evacuate because of the danger of high winds and flooding.

What made it interesting for us is that Jeanne was pregnant with our first child, and she was at full term. So while everyone else was either leaving town or getting to a safe place, we evacuated to the hospital. That was on Saturday, August the 31st and that’s when our baby was born. Everyone said if it was a girl we should choose the name Elena, after the hurricane. Instead, our son’s name is David.

A few months ago, in the hurricane season of 2024, we had Hurricane Milton to deal with. Since it was headed directly for where we live, we left town with our dogs and spent the week up in Jacksonville. We came back and discovered that, unlike some other people, we had no damage and no flooding.

But not everyone fared that well. My guest today is Ber. She lives about an hour or so from me, in a rural part of Florida called Dade City. She’s been through lots of hurricanes. But after what happened to her with Hurricane Milton, she probably won’t go venturing outdoors at the height of the storm any more.

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/205

(for the pictures of Ber’s injuries, you will need to go to that URL and scroll all the way down – past the transcript – to see them. They are graphic.)

Ber’s GoFundMe page:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ambers-recovery-and-farm-restoration

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999!

Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.

To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS

Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices