Spoiled Brat Is A Badge Of Honor

A lemon drop martini, a full inbox, and absolutely no chill. We’re reading listener submissions that go from “I can’t believe that happened” to “I would move countries,” starting with a road trip to Zion that gets derailed by an IBS emergency. If you’ve ever had your body betray you at the worst possible moment, you’ll feel seen.

Next, we dig into dating red flags with a dinner date that turns creepy when a guy tries to pitch an explicit fantasy. We talk through the whiplash of realizing you’re not on a normal date anymore, why you don’t owe politeness to someone pushing boundaries, and how trusting your gut can be a real safety skill, especially with modern dating through Instagram.

Then we shift into Gremlin Guidance: what it actually means when your partner calls you a “spoiled brat” over something as small as flowers, and how love languages and respect show up in the little moments. We also tackle the lonely reality of moving to a new city as an adult, with practical ways to meet people through events, hobby classes, and friend-matching dinners.

To close it out, the gossip gets chaotic: a toxic office potluck and a romantic plot twist. Listen, laugh, and then do us a favor: subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review!

Have your own Gremlin Story? Need Gremlin Guidance? Have a juicy piece of Gremlin Gossip? Email the podcast at EMILYTOGREMILYPOD@GMAIL.COM and it can be read on a future episode!

Transcript

Lemon Drop Martini And House Rules

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Okay, cheers guys. Okay, I want to welcome any new listeners we have and welcome back, all returning listeners. Thanks for tuning in. Our episode drink of the week is a lemon drop martini. The martinis are back, and it's just, it's such a glorious feeling. Not that I have a problem with margaritas. I do believe I used to, just because like I would have one and it would make me feel sickly later on. I think I got used to them, but it was just time to bring back the martini. And I just, I I love them. I love my vodka. You know, I'm a potato gal. So I just I love martinis. It was time to bring it back. It was funny, yesterday I was planning on making a margarita for the episode today, and then I was just like, you know what? No, like we gotta go back to our roots and just bring back a martini and bring back the vodka. It's good to switch it up every now and then, but I'm in a vodka mood. And plus, I do have stuff I have to do later today after this. And when I have a margarita, like an hour or so later, I get sleepy. So I can't get sleepy. So, you know, the vodka should wake me up. I don't know what I'm talking about. I I just wanted vodka, basically. That's all I gotta say about that. Okay, we have a full episode today. We have Gremlin stories, gremlin guidance, and gremlin gossip. A reminder: if you have your own gremlin story, you need gremlin guidance, or you have a juicy, juicy piece of gremlin gossip, you can email that into the podcast at Emily to Gremlin Pod at gmail.com or message or DM me on social media at Emily to Gremlin Pod on Instagram and TikTok. And just let me know if you'd like to remain anonymous or if you want your name read on the podcast. So let's get started.

Road Trip IBS Disaster Confession

SPEAKER_00 2:02

We have Gremlin Stories up first. Our first submission comes to us from Samantha. And Samantha says, Oh gosh, yes, I remember this. It's I always pick out the stories, like no one else is picking these out, but I plan my episodes ahead of time, and I sometimes forget exactly what's in them. This is one of those times I forgot. Maybe I blocked it out. Okay, Samantha says, My name is Samantha, and I have a Gremlin story to end all Gremlin stories. You can share my name on the podcast. Any self-respect and dignity I had before this event is now gone. My boyfriend and I decided we wanted to go on a road trip to Zion. So we packed up our car and headed out on the open road full of wonder and hope. We were officially in the middle of nowhere and I was munching on the road snacks we packed. That's when I felt it. The bubble guts. Now I know I'm an IBS girly, but I didn't think I ate anything that would have upset my stomach. But lo and behold, there I am, miles away from a bathroom, and my stomach is churning. I figure if I let out a little gas, it will help relieve some of the pressure. But instead, oh my god, but instead of gas, I feel a huge wet spot form in my leggings. The smell was immediate, and there was no hiding what just happened. My boyfriend pulled the car over immediately, and I had to wash down with bottled water and wipe with gas station napkins. As you can imagine, I didn't feel very clean, and the leggings were a complete loss. Luckily, my boyfriend laughed it off. We are now engaged and planning our wedding, so I didn't scare him away, but every time he brings it up, I want to die, Samantha. I mean, I yeah, you you have to marry that guy after something like that. There's there's no breaking up and meeting someone new. Like, that's the person you have to grow old with. Because if they can accept that, then they accept you at your absolute lowest, and it's only gonna go up from here. But also, you don't want to break up with them and then have them be able to run around and tell somebody that story out of like spite, which does remind me. I do have some very funny stories involving something like this with an ex. And I'm not gonna talk about it today because I wasn't planning on it and I want it to be more of a well-thought-out um retelling. Actually, I have a few, but see, you don't want someone to be able to do what I'm gonna do soon. So I have some funny stories in regards to something like this that has to do with someone I used to date and I don't anymore. And I don't like this person very much, so I'm gonna one day tell these stories. So yeah, I'm glad you were able to um get past this terrible event in your life, and now you are planning a wedding with the man of your dreams. But also, he shouldn't be bringing this up all the time. That's kind of mean. But yeah, maybe I would be bringing it up too, because that's fucking funny. Oh, poor Samantha. I feel so bad for you. And you're an IBS girly, so this you're no stranger to tummy problems and bathroom issues. Oh gosh. Okay, you know what? Let's move on. Samantha, my heart goes out to you, and I hope you have a beautiful wedding and have fun planning it.

Instagram Dinner Date Turns Dark

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Okay, the next story comes to us from Aaron. And Aaron says, I'm so bummed I missed the worst first date episode because I went on a date with a super creep and would love for it to be read on the podcast. So I received a message from this guy on Instagram who was complimenting me, and after messaging back and forth, he asked if he could take me out to dinner. I thought he was cute and figured there's no harm in meeting him at a restaurant. So I get there and he looks the same in person as he does on his profile, so we're chatting it up. Everything is normal, and then he starts getting really weird and asks me if I've ever hooked up with a woman. I was completely thrown by the question, so I said, huh? Then he starts telling me that he has a female roommate and he would love if I would come back to their apartment and he could watch us together and then possibly join in. I was even more confused and I couldn't process what he was asking me. I finally told him I needed to go and he was a perv, and when I got up from the table, he grabbed my hand and asked if he offended me, and I instinctively swatted at him with my purse. The people in the restaurant obviously saw the scene and were probably concerned for my safety because they helped me leave the restaurant and kept him seated at the table. Such a weirdo. I'm not sure what his plan was or if this was some scheme him and his roommate have, but I was unwilling to find out. I quickly blocked him and never looked back. Aaron. Okay, I have a couple things about this story. First of all, if you've like missed like a quote unquote deadline of submitting a story like for like a specific themed episode, don't worry about it. Just send it in because I will accept all Gremlin stories. It doesn't have to be like on a specific theme or you know, we already did worst first dates. I'm sure I'll do another episode specifically about that if I get enough submissions. But if not, it'll just get put into Gremlin stories. So if you heard there was an episode theme and it's already been filmed and it's already aired, still send it in, no matter whether it's the worst first dates, um, true crime. What other ones have we done? No, I can't think of them. But anyway, if you have a submission that is going for a specific theme, just submit it in anyway and it'll get read on the podcast. It doesn't have to, you know, just because you missed that episode doesn't mean it won't be read. So send it in no matter what. Okay. Um I first of all, going out with someone you met on Instagram, I don't know why that sounds scary. Like he could have, I mean, I guess you met him at a restaurant, so I mean, it's not like you invited him to your house or you went to his house. But I don't know that to me that sounds sketchy, but I know that's what people do. I think I'm just being like paranoid and old school. Anyway, um, and I really wonder, like, does he have a female roommate at his at his place? Like, I don't know. To me, I'm getting like murder vibes. Like, he's gonna like lure you in with like the thought of like another woman being there and that you'll be safe because you feel like camaraderie with another woman, and really he just brings you there and like dexters you. I don't know. It might like I went in like a dark place to this where I was like, I I like I wonder if there actually is a female roommate, or is he just like is it all true and he's just like a really big creep? Like, ew. Also, like there's like sites you can go on if you're like looking specifically for something like that. You don't have to, you know, prey on innocent people on Instagram and hope that they're like game for whatever fantasy you got going on. Ew. But Aaron, I'm glad you're safe and I'm glad you blocked him. And what a creep. I don't know. In my head, I was like, he sounds like a murderer or someone with like ill intentions, not just someone who's like trying to like get freaky. Okay, next up we have Gremlin Guidance. The

Flowers Fight And Name Calling

SPEAKER_00 9:32

first submission is from Carly, and this is Carly with an I, not with a Y. Carly says, My boyfriend called me a spoiled brat. Some context. I was out to dinner with my boyfriend and my best friend for her birthday. Her boyfriend was going to meet us at the restaurant when he got off of work around 30 minutes later than our reservation. When he showed up, he brought a bouquet of flowers that were absolutely gorgeous. I said to my boyfriend playfully, Aw, you never buy me flowers. To which he responded, Okay, I'll get you some in November, which is the month my birthday falls. It rubbed me the wrong way, so in the car on the way to drop me off at home, I asked him why he doesn't buy me flowers just because. I didn't think it was a huge ask, but it started a fight which ended when he dropped me off. He said I was acting like a spoiled brat for expecting gifts just simply for existing. Am I overreacting and being sensitive, or was that actually a really rude remark? Carly. Okay. I'm gonna have some martini because I don't like what he had to say, and I have thoughts and suggestions. Okay. Expecting g okay. How do I want to go about this? What I could say is your this boyfriend would absolutely hate my guts. Because do I expect gifts for simply existing? Yup. I do. And I don't think it's a huge ask. I'm not asking for the friggin' moon, but yeah, like giving your girlfriend flowers or just like little tokens to show that you care. Like, I'm not talking about like big gifts like jewelry or this, that it's a friggin' bouquet of flowers. You can get like a nice little bouquet at Trader Joe's for under $10. It's really not that big of a deal. And if her love language is like receiving gifts, then it's like you expect to be loved the way you want to be loved, whether that be quality time, words of affirmation, whatever. So if she just wants some flowers, just to know that you still care, that's not that big of a deal. If she was asking for like huge presents, then you know that's like a little unreasonable unless you, you know, are bawling like that. Whatever. I don't think you're overreacting, and I don't think you're being sensitive. I think this was extremely rude to say. And uh honestly, I would not take kindly to someone saying this to me. First of all, if someone calls me a spoiled brat, they're not saying anything to me that I haven't heard a thousand times before. And I wear spoiled brat like a badge of honor. Like when I was a kid, I was nicknamed Veruca Salt. And for those who don't know Willy Wonka, she was the little girl who was a brat and was very spoiled. And her famous line was, but daddy, I want it now. That's the way I was, that's the way I was raised. And my bar is just extremely high. I want what I want when I want it, and whether I'm gonna be the one to provide it for myself or have somebody else provide it for me, I am going to get what I want because I think I deserve the world and beyond. And I think we all should. We should all want for more. And I don't think it's being spoiled. I think it's called manifesting. And I'm manifesting an amazing life, and I don't think that's spoiled. That's just my mindset. I went on a tangent. For him to call you a spoiled brat because you just want some flowers. I think that's really rude. And the bar isn't fucking hell if he's just unable to do just like a very nice small little token of appreciation to you. It's you're not asking for, you know, diamonds or anything like that. You're just asking for some flowers. It's not a big ask. And it's like if he's unwilling to do something so small, or and is this spelling out a bigger issue where he's not like willing to do anything for you like later on? You know, I I don't know. I might be like overreaching here, but I just I don't I didn't like that. Like you just wanted you just saw some pretty flowers that your friend got and were wanting that for yourself. And instead of being like, okay, yeah, like yeah, like noted. Like he didn't have to say, like, bring you flowers the next day. He could have just been like, okay, like okay, she likes flowers. So, you know, next time I'm out and I see, you know, like a nice bouquet, I can like grab it for her. Well, it's like not that big of a deal. So I don't like what he had to say, and uh, I don't know, I think I would have a talk with him about it and just be like, dude, what the fuck? Also, don't call me names, dick. All right, well, Carly, I'm rooting for you. Let me know if you have a conversation with him, what he says, how that goes. And I don't know, maybe I just got all fired up for it for no reason, and who knows? Maybe since you wrote the email to when you're listening to this now, he's gotten you flowers, so this is all just like a moot point, but still, I didn't like it.

Making Friends As An Adult

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Okay, the next submission comes to us from Paige, and Paige asks, please help me. How do I make friends in a new city as an adult? Hi, Hiddley Ho, my name is Paige, and I recently moved to a new city for work, but left all my friends and family back at home, and I feel pretty lonely. All of my friends I met through school or I grew up with them, and now the concept of making friends as a full-on adult seems so strange and foreign. I'm not a super social person and I can be shy with new people. You seem like you have such a great friend group and a lively social calendar, and I'm jealous. How would you suggest I make friends when I don't know anyone in this new big city? Paige. Okay. First of all, thank you for thinking I have a lively social calendar. I don't, but I'm glad that I give off the vibe that I, you know, am coming and going so often and I'm just like booked and busy. I mean, I'm busy, but I'm busy with like m work stuff, not like busy because, you know, it's, you know, party, club, bus, plane, you know, this or that. But I'll I'll take it. I'll take it. Okay, honestly, I didn't really know how to answer this gremlin guidance because, like you, Paige, I think making friends as an adult is hard. It's like I the friends that I do have now, I met them years ago. Like we've been friends, like at the very least, like five plus years. And I think five's like kind of low. Like they've been like long-term friends. I haven't really made any new friends recently, which now makes me feel kind of sad. But you know, like I it's just you're right. Making friends as an adult is is a foreign concept. It's weird, you know, when you're in, you know, school, you're around like the same group of people for you know, like five days a week. So everyone mingles and integrates, and you have, you know, little clicks and friend groups and this and that. Maybe you have a friend group. Like I remember, okay, for example, in high school, I had my friend group, like, you know, my main group of friends that some of them I had known from like kindergarten up, others I had met like in high school, this or that. But then I also had other friend groups from the different extracurricular activities I did. So that's how I got my friends. When I started working and the different places I worked, I accumulated friends that way. But other than at school or work, I gotta say, I've never really made friends outside of school or work. Have I? I don't think I have. I I literally can't think of a single person who I met not at school or at work. So, Paige, I'm kind of like you. I you're right. It's very hard to make friends. And so what I did is I had remembered, and I couldn't find a specific post. So I saw it on Instagram, and because I live in Los Angeles, I follow these two Instagram pages. One's called Secret Los Angeles, and the other one is called Bucket Listers Los Angeles. Now it said you said you live in a big city, so I'm assuming your whatever city you live in, they would have like their own version of this. And what both of these pages do is they post all of like the cool events that are happening in Los Angeles, like that are coming up, that are like that specific weekend, like whatever it is, they just like post different events um that are coming up. And I remember I saw it like maybe a month ago, but I couldn't remember the timeline. That's the other reason I couldn't find the exact post. But they had posted one of them, and I don't know which one it was. I'm so sorry, I'm like all over the place. They had posted that there was an event you could sign up for, and it was through a website. And basically you fill out like a little questionnaire and you say, like, you know, like what your top interests are, um, what maybe you do for work, like you basically like who you are like in your everyday life. And then they would match you with other people who had similar interests, similar hobbies, similar work lifestyle. And it was a site for people like you and I who would want to make new friends with similar interests, and they would set it up where I think it'd be like a group of like, let's say, five people. So they would match you with these five people and you can decide whether it's you know a connection or not. And then it's up to you guys to decide like, do you want to continue the friendship and you know, go from there? So I couldn't find the exact post. So I did do some Googling and I found this website. It's called timelft.com and it's all over the place. So it says it's available in 48 countries and 160 plus cities, and it's the exact same concept I just said. It says they match you with five strangers at a restaurant with similar interests. So I would suggest going on that just to see like maybe it's something you're interested in and see if your city has it. Um, I looked, they have like a Los Angeles one, obviously. Um it looked pretty cool. Also, I was thinking about like if you have any like specific interests that you like maybe want to take like a class for. Like me myself, I would love to take like cooking classes just to like learn new recipes and hone my skills and this and that. That would be a fun place to meet somebody new, like friend wise. Um, so yeah, if you have like a hobby like that that you would love to meet people through, like maybe whether it be cooking, um, like pottery classes, um, art classes, just like something like that, maybe you can go to those classes and meet some new friends. But yeah, this was a hard one for me to answer. And I was really annoyed. I spent like a good hour looking for this post that I that I had seen, and I just I couldn't find it. So I do believe timeleft.com. I think that was like as close as I was gonna get. If it wasn't that specific website, it was a website extremely similar to it. So I say just go on that and see if it's something you are interested in. And I don't think it's like a subscription or a membership, it's just a you know, you sign up and you fill out a questionnaire and they match you with people. I don't think there's any like payment involved or anything like that. Like, you know, they just say, like, okay, we're gonna send you to this restaurant at this time, and then like everyone's paying for their own meal. Like, you know, the website's not paying for it. So yeah, I don't think there's any like money to be paid, like to the website. So I do think it's free, but I'm not a hundred percent sure, so don't quote me on that. But yeah, hopefully that helps Paige. And I wish you would have said what city you were in, because I could have like done like a better search, like a more geographically sound search. But hopefully that helps. Let me know how that goes. And yeah, but yeah, making friends as an adult is weird. It's not weird, it's just hard. Yeah, it's not like weird to like have a new friend, it's just like hard to make a new friend, you know? We're so settled in our lives, like how they are, so it's harder to like go out and like invite new people in, I suppose. But hopefully that helps. Let me know. Also, timeless.com. If you see this, reach out. Maybe we can do a sponsorship. Okie dokie, and let's go on to Gremlin gossip. Gremlin

Toxic Office Potluck Payback

SPEAKER_00 21:41

gossip this week is funny. Okay, the first one is from Anonymous, and Anonymous says I work in a pretty toxic office. There are office clicks, and the boss is the worst. But everyone sucks up to her since she has positioned herself as the Queen Bee. One of her minions decided that for her birthday this year, we should do something big and special since it was a milestone birthday. She sent out a memo to everyone saying she would need help decorating the break room and is asking everyone to bring a dish from home so it could be a potluck style. Attached to the memo was a list of rules and dietary restrictions that our boss follows. It was a ridiculous list, about 15 points long, but the main role was that she's a vegetarian. I was pissed that not only did I have to celebrate this horrible woman, but now I was required to cook food for her on my time off with groceries that I paid for. But I had an evil thought. I was going to get back at her the only way I knew how. Passively. I decided to cook my famous lasagna. I minced the veggies extremely small and then added my secret ingredient, ground beef. I made sure everything was as tiny as possible and well integrated so it wasn't detectable. Watching her take a huge bite of lasagna made my heart skip with joy. She told me it was delicious and she wanted the recipe. Anonymous. Okay, that went better than I thought it was going to. I for some reason thought you were gonna poison this lady, which I'm glad you didn't. Technically, she's not allergic, she just follows a vegetarian lifestyle. I wonder if she felt sick afterwards though, because I thought like if you're vegetarian for a long time and then you reintroduce yourself to meat, you can get like an upset stomach, like Samantha did in our Gremlin stories this week. Yeah, I don't, I'm not sure about that. I've never been vegetarian, so I don't know about that, but yeah, I wonder if she felt sick after. Or if she was just like, damn, this lasagna's really good. I don't know why. I wonder also, I want to know, it was 15 points long. Like, what else was on there? Like, I'm surprised like one of the main ones wasn't like gluten-free. Because then, like, you can either be gluten-free by choice or you could have like celiac's disease and you can't have gluten. So I'm glad it didn't go like she's gluten-free, and then like you reignited her celiacs disease. Um, I guess this was the best scenario that could have happened given what you did. And she thought it was delicious, so good for you on making a delicious lasagna. And that's funny, we were just talking about making friends at school and work, and then the next one was about office clicks. But that's true though, like if you have certain work dynamics, sometimes it fosters a toxic environment. So I'm sorry you work in such a crappy ass place, but good for you. And also you said you got back at her passively. I felt that in my soul. It's sometimes I'm very passive. Okay, and the last gremlin gossip is anonymous as well. Anonymous

He’s In Jail So I’m Dating His Brother

SPEAKER_00 24:41

says, I went on two dates with this absolute smoke show of a guy. Was it a love connection? No. But I was down to get some. A couple of days after our second date, he texted to make plans for a third, but then I never heard back from him. I texted him a few times and no response, so I decided to call him. After a couple of rings, the phone is answered, but not by my date. I asked who is this, and he says he's the brother of my date, and my date won't be available for a while. I asked why, and he said he violated his parole and is now in jail. I had no idea he had even ever been to prison before. But I got to talking to the brother for a minute, and he seems really cool, and we definitely have much more in common. So I have a date with him this weekend. I hope he's as hot as his brother. Anonymous. Okay, first of all, dying to know what he was on parole for because like probation's one thing, parole, that's like a whole nother beast. So that I that that means he was in there for like a while. Wonder what he did. I'm assuming not not like murder, right? I don't know. I make a lot of assumptions on this podcast, and I I probably shouldn't. And you know, good for you. You're making lemonade out of lemons over here, but also kind of shitty for the brother to poach this date from his brother. I mean, I get like he, you know, he's in prison, he won't be out for a while, it seems. Who I wonder how long. But like, he doesn't know how his brother felt about the date, and he's just like answering his phone, hoping to like book up his Friday. I don't know. You know, good for you, girl. I hope he is as hot as his brother. And you said you have more in common, so you know, maybe this is your very unique meat cute. And let me know how that goes. I want to know why. Okay, I have a list of questions. Why was the date in prison? Why did he break his parole? How did your new date go? So hit me back up, emily to gremlypod at gmail.com, and let me know how that went. I hope it was an amazing date and you're safe. Okay, guys, that was our episode.

Submissions Themes And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_00 27:01

If you would like to follow myself and the podcast, you may do so on Instagram and TikTok at EmilyTogremlypod. You can also watch this episode and almost all the past episodes on YouTube at EmilyTogremlypod on YouTube. If you have your own Gremlin story, you need Gremlin guidance, or you have a juicy, juicy piece of Gremlin gossip, you can email that into the podcast at EmilyTogremlypod at gmail.com or message or DM me on social media, whichever you prefer. And also remember to write if you would like to remain anonymous or not. A call to action, I'm saying at the end of every episode. If you have your own episode theme or topic suggestions, or you have a guest suggestion, whether it be a specific person, a profession, a hobby, email that into the podcast at emily to gremilypod at gmail.com. Or if you yourself want to be a guest on this podcast, email that in and tell me why. And let's connect and let's chat. Let's get it going. We have a call to action brought to us by Juni. She has an idea for an episode. I thought it might be fun for all of us to commiserate over our worst breakups and make it an entire episode. I'm sure there are enough listeners who have had horrible experiences either as the victim or the perpetrator. If we don't laugh, we'll cry, so we might as well make some entertainment. Juni. So if you would like to submit your own worst breakup story, whether you were the cause or the casualty, email that in, Emily to Gremladepod at gmail.com. I do have a bunch of submissions that I need to rifle through. And I do have some guests lined up, so I'm not a hundred percent sure when this episode is going to air. I might air it next week and I might air it a couple weeks from now, but email those in ASAP worst breakup stories, emily to gramlypod at gmail.com. And that is our episode. Make sure to like, follow, share, subscribe, rate five stars, do all the things. We're gonna cheers out with our lemon drop martini. So cheers to you, cheers to me, and cheers to anonymous. I hope you have a great date with brother. Cheers. Bye.