WEBVTT - MELYSSA FORD - Hot & Raw Poor Man's Sushi 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.480 Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:05.640 I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have a 0:00:05.800 --> 0:00:09.680 very hot and bothered guest up in the building. Melissa 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:12.959 Ford is in the building. Who hoo do who who? 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:16.000 I'm excited wearing New York shout out to WEEZYWT have 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:19.320 studios for having us and allowing us to, please Jesus 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:22.520 not burn down the studio with our makeshift kitchen. 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:24.840 I promise I will not burn down the studio. 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:26.680 Yes, please, please don't. 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:32.279 Very very cognizant of the fact that this is you know, 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:34.479 and I told him, I said, if we burn it, 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:35.159 we'll pay for it. 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:38.360 And I was like, keep right, I pray we don't. 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:40.040 What are you gonna have us eating today? 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:43.920 Okay, So this is a dish that I call poor 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:47.000 man sushi. And I remember when I sent you like 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:50.040 the ingredients, you were like, what the fuck is this? 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:53.040 What is this? I love though that you were fast 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:55.280 with it. I was like, oh, her struggle was real, Yeah, 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:58.720 it was. So. I've always been a jim rat. 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:03.840 I've all always been into, you know, physical fitness. I 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:07.880 started gymnastics when I was two years old. Shit, I 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:11.319 was in baby like Jack Butler's Baby School for swimming 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:13.720 when I was six months, Like, my parents like really 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:14.880 just like threw me back in. 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:18.040 You know, Oh okay, she was just swimming amniotic fluid. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:21.520 You know, she'll be fine. Wow. So that's really young. Yeah. 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:23.440 Well, I mean like there's a lot of baby school, 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.080 you know, swimming schools for babies and stuff like that, 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:26.520 and they. 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:29.360 Just kind of like really take to water very quickly. 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:31.679 So my parents just kind of like put me in 0:01:31.720 --> 0:01:33.160 that little situation. 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:37.000 This is really like cooking. Hold on, yo. That is 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:39.920 like I was thinking, you know, we got this shout 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.160 outs to Walmar, but we we did buy this and 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:44.600 it was like a fifteen dollars like a hot plate, 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:46.200 and I was thinking, I wonder if this thing's really 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:50.120 gonna work. This thing, this thing you can have this 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.720 in like a college dorm or something like that's official. 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:56.000 Yeah and so and so anyways, I was saying, how 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:59.840 I'm in. I've always been into physical fitness. So I 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:02.040 used to just kind of make this meal out of 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:05.080 like you know, can tuna fried up with a little 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:09.200 bit of spices and stuff like that, white rice and 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:11.680 some you know, just kind of mixed vegetables and I 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:13.960 just would get my carbs and my protein in in 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:17.640 a really simple way. You know, food was fuel, you 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:20.680 know when I was in my super duper gym rat days. 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.480 Now you're lucky to I'm lucky if I see the 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:44.040 inside of a gym like three to four times a week. 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:52.960 When you hit your forties, ship really becomes very real 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:54.720 as to how you have to. 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.200 Stay stay on top of your. 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:02.320 Fitness regime and your regimen and your your dietary regimen. 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:03.240 Things have to change. 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:06.920 Alcohol can't be you know, just binging and shit like 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.720 that anymore, and you got to start lifting heavy. 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:11.600 Cardio out the window. 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:13.720 You can do a little bit of cardio, but mainly 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:17.560 as women especially, you have to focus on lifting heavy. 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:23.600 Why because we lose bone density as we get older, you. 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:26.280 Know, before before before we get into scaring me away 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:29.120 from growing older. You know, It's funny because I listened 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:31.840 to Hot and Bothered and I don't want to detour, 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:34.560 but I called I definitely called Dori and was like, yo, 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:38.119 I don't I don't know if I'm feeling like what's 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:40.400 about to happen to me? I mean, I'm in the 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:44.200 forty year land and listening to your show. It really 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:47.480 did showcase like I have no idea. They definitely don't 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:50.120 talk about this enough to women, because I was like, WHOA. 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:55.440 I was also very scared because you're like, no, there 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:57.200 was not about to get real real quick. 0:03:57.360 --> 0:03:59.920 There was a point in time like the medical industry 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.920 has not been kind to women, you know. And don't 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:05.160 even get me started on what the medical industry has 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:07.360 done to black people and black women. 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:10.200 Okay, they basically used to experiment on our. 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:15.720 Bodies, but women in general, menopause was just not seen 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:19.040 as anything that the medical industry felt like they needed 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:22.279 to study. They didn't need to study our bodies because 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:24.680 you know, we were basically given the message that after 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:27.880 our child bearing years, we have zero value. That was 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:30.680 That's literally the message that was given to us. And 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:34.360 what boggles my mind is that this has the potential 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:38.560 to be a multi billion dollar industry with all of 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:40.040 the things that we need. 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:41.680 I have in the last. 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.280 Six years since I started perimenopause, I have seen more 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:50.080 doctors and gone to hospitals and doctors offices more times 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:54.080 than I have in my entire life. Tenfold. I was 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:55.640 I've been I've been an. 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:57.640 Extremely healthy person my whole life. 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:01.080 You know, Thank God, I'm not somebody who suffered from 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:05.279 indiby triosis, Pico's fibroids, all horrible things that some of 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:07.839 my girlfriends and other women suffer from. 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:12.080 But I had like wicked cramps, I've had. 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.240 I've had a miscarriage, I've had I've had I've had 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:16.560 stuff happen, you. 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:20.120 Know, but relatively, I've been very, very healthy. Well, take 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:23.120 me back to before we get into yeah, scaring our. 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:25.479 If you guys want to hear more about menopause and 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:28.080 ed and all that, you need to check out Hot 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:31.840 and Bothered. But before we get into that, let's get 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:35.560 back to get a closer look at Melissa Ford, because 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:37.440 you know, I don't think we really got to know 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:39.840 who you are, and I think just telling us, like, 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:43.080 take us back to what exactly was going on during 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:44.520 the making of this dish. 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:52.400 Okay, so the making of this dish. 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:51.039 Get it? 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:55.200 Yeah, there we go, the making of this dish. 0:05:55.520 --> 0:05:58.320 I had just moved to New York. 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:06.400 I was living in Stuyvesant Heights, this Bedstye, which is 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:09.560 really funny because when I was fifteen years old, I 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:12.320 had a premonition that I was going to live in Bedsty. 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:15.240 And this is before I even knew that New York 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:17.920 was even divided up into like five boroughs, which is 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:18.920 like wild. 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:20.520 Hold, I'm going to hold that off. But you're originally 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:22.159 from Canada. I'm originally from Canada. 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:24.400 So I had this premonition when I was fifteen that 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:26.039 I was going to live in Bedsty and I was like, 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:28.320 where the fuck is Bedsty? What is bedstide? 0:06:28.320 --> 0:06:30.600 I didn't even know. I didn't understand. But so when 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:31.640 I ended up living. 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:36.840 In Bedsty, like literally Bainbridge and Stuyvesant in the thick 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.400 of it, I was like, oh, well, this was kind 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:43.240 of like meant to be kind of thing. So here 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:47.000 I am. I am an illegal alien from Canada. I 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:49.039 have no permission from my country to leave. I have 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:51.279 no permission from this country to stay here. I have 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:53.760 no job, I have no nothing, And how are you. 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:57.719 I'm twenty one years old. I've put school on hold 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:01.200 in Canada. I was studying forensic psychology University because I 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:05.520 wanted to be a profiler, working for the BSU or 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:09.840 some other law enforcement agency that you know, did profiling 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:10.400 and whatnot. 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:13.560 So here I am in New York. I'm living in 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:14.200 this apartment. 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:17.200 How did I get an apartment with no credit, no 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:20.640 money or no proof of income, no nothing. 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:25.080 I was working in a club. The owner. 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:28.440 The owner had a little bit of a crush on me, 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:30.840 and that is putting it lightly. 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:34.080 One day, he you. 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:36.040 Know, calls me into his office and just you know, 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:39.280 starts talking to me about, you know, what's your whole 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:40.200 situation or whatever. 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.720 I was living with a girlfriend at the time, and he. 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:46.680 Basically said that he would get me a condo just 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:48.840 as long as I let him come by and watch 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:50.880 me masturbate every once in a while. 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:54.680 That was the deal. How old was this dude? He 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.920 was like fifty five? What did you say? 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:01.120 I said, You've got to be fucking kidding me. 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:07.560 There's no you like ew ew you don't get to 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:11.880 see all you don't get to see this you. 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:13.480 No, I was, I know, but it has you end 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:18.240 up with apartment though. So it's so he was just like, 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:19.160 so he hooks me with a. 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:22.640 Realtor this a focus Okay, he was shady. 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:24.640 So you actually said that, like, oh, hen I was 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:28.200 the no, no, fuck no, and you would have had 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:30.520 it rent free. I know. Did he have to be 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:31.960 in the room when you did? This stuff. 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:34.400 Do you know how many of my girlfriends asked the 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:35.320 exact same questions. 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:36.959 They were like, wait, bit what like? What was the 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:38.240 parameters of this deal? 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:43.120 It was a hard pass and I was like yes 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:45.160 and they were like girl. 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:46.960 But there wasn't like record. It was just like he 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:47.760 had to there. 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:52.760 This is two thousands to make sure if a good deal. Okay, listen, 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.520 okay there baby, I don't know, but you know what, 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:57.479 I'm Canadian. 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:01.199 Okay, So he said, okay, so hyper independent. 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:03.520 I'm going to do this on my own. So he was, 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:04.839 what were you doing in this club? 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:07.600 It was bartender? Okay, So this is how I ended 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:08.959 up being able to make money. 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:12.480 This nigga kid got me too basically like back then 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:14.520 he would have been he would have been ye know 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:15.560 me too. 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:19.600 Was so interesting. Okay, but anyways, we're jumping ahead. Yeah, okay, 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:21.200 so I'm gonna cook up the vegetables. In just a 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:22.400 second of vegetables. 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:24.440 So guys, just for our listeners, she just heated up 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:27.720 the tuna in a pan and seasoned it. Yes, I 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:29.439 want to okay. 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:32.240 So I'm going to put this back in once I 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:34.680 get the rice and the and the vegetables going a little. 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:36.920 I would have I would have used different vegetables than 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:40.199 these ones, because these are a little chunky and cruciferous. 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:42.600 So we got to know you were probably using like 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:44.880 peas and carrits. Yes, exactly, I know, you know what 0:09:45.240 --> 0:09:47.000 I don't know. And for all the listeners, they know 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:49.400 I absolutely hate peace. I was like, oh, hell no, 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:51.720 she's gonna want these peas, not giving her peace. 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:55.920 It's okay, it's okay, we'll handle this broccoli. 0:09:56.040 --> 0:09:58.400 So this guy is, oh, this guy, you tell him no. 0:09:58.559 --> 0:09:59.079 I tell him no. 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:00.800 So he is like, he's so he hooks me up 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:04.480 with his realtor another shady motherfucker. Right, So he brings 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:06.560 me to he shows me this apartment because I tell 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:07.480 him what my price. 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:11.600 My hole, what do you call that? What my range is? 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:14.680 It was six hundred to eight hundred dollars a month. 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:17.080 That's yeah, back then, back then. 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:19.440 It's just wild to think about back then. 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:24.960 So he shows me this apartment at it was at 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:30.680 like Classen and Washington, if I'm not mistaken, if that 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.400 was what it was, and Classen and Washington. 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:37.400 Did not look the way that it looks now. It's 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:38.400 very gentrified. 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:40.800 Now, okay, there's a lot of white people with strollers 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:43.000 and shit, that is not the way that it looked 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:47.360 back then. And I'm so like, I'm just still so 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:50.480 naive that I'm just kind of looking around the place 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:52.000 and I'm looking outside. 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:54.320 The windows and I'm like, yeah, I don't think that 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:57.480 this is the place. Yo. There's fucking gangs around. 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:04.120 Yeah, it's not the Melissa like older me wants to say, girl, no. 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:06.000 So I take it. I take it. You took the 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:09.880 place I did not. So he says to me. I 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:11.400 was like, do you have anything else you can show me. 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:13.720 He's like, well, I'm showing this apartment later on tonight, 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.120 and he was just like it's out of your price 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:17.719 range and you're probably not going to get it, but 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:18.400 you can come see it. 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.160 Anyways. I was like the fuck you know? So I 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:22.600 was like okay, fine, and. 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:24.480 He was like, oh, by the way, the landlord is 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:29.360 a woman, so make sure you cover up. 0:11:29.440 --> 0:11:31.920 Yeah, cover up. And I was like fuck you talking 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:34.000 to so Okay. 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:36.679 So anyways, it's not like I had like my boobs 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:39.240 out or anything like that. And it was winter, so 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:44.040 I got to the apartment early and it was a 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:48.240 brown Stone and I I had on a black turtleneck 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.880 and a cowboy hat and jeans. 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:52.800 I don't know what. 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:56.240 I really loved this cowboy hat though I don't know 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:58.320 what it was. I was obsessed with this cowboy hat, 0:11:58.320 --> 0:11:59.160 and somehow I made it. 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.560 I think. I feel like it made me seem really innocent. 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:06.319 And so she opens up the door. This woman, her name. 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:09.679 Was Deborah, and the second she opened up the door, 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.880 I felt like this, it's gonna sound weird, but like 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:16.000 my spirit immediately took to her. 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:18.920 It was just something about her. It was just she 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:22.200 just was just warmth, you know. 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:27.400 And so she invited me inside and we sat down 0:12:27.400 --> 0:12:31.320 and we talked for about ten minutes, and it was 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:33.160 a great conversation, to the point where I forgot why 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:34.800 where I was and what I was doing there. 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:36.439 And she said, well, young lady, do you want to 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:37.280 go see the apartment? 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:39.280 I said, oh, yeah, let's go see. 0:12:39.920 --> 0:12:42.160 And so she brought me upstairs to the second floor. 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:44.640 And the minute that I walked into that apartment, I 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:47.559 knew I was home. I just knew I was home. 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:50.560 And could you afford it them? No? It was nine 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:52.199 hundred and twenty five dollars a month. 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:53.920 It was a junior it was a one and a 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:56.960 half bed, so it was like a one bedroom, one 0:12:57.040 --> 0:12:57.880 bath with like. 0:12:58.120 --> 0:12:59.880 A smaller bedroom. Yeah. 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:01.960 And I was like, I can't afford this shit, but 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.240 I'm going to figure this the fuck out, Okay. 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:10.760 And so I saw the apartment. I said, I will 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:12.079 be in touch and whatever. 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:16.240 And then for the next two weeks I just kind 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:19.120 of like wrung my hands hoping that this realtor was 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:23.120 pleading my case and he wasn't. He was probably saying, 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:26.080 she is the worst candidate for this apartment, so don't 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:30.880 give it to her. Yeah, And so I decided to 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:31.440 look her up. 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:35.640 Remember phone books, Ah, yeah, I remember the white pages, 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:37.920 the white page. Yeah. 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:41.120 So I looked her up and I found her and 0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:47.840 I called her and I said, I said, hi, I saw. 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:49.480 You a couple of weeks ago. I came to look 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:50.440 at the apartment, et cetera. 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:52.200 She was like, oh I remember, She was like, I 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:54.080 haven't made a decision yet, and I said, I just 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:56.680 really want you to know that I felt like that 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:58.559 is supposed to meet my apartment. 0:13:58.679 --> 0:13:59.520 It felt safe. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.480 I I just pleaded my case. 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:05.000 Whatever it was that I said to her. 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:06.960 You know, I was just like my mother and I 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:11.600 we rented to, you know, people before. I've seen my 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:14.839 mom go through hell with tenants who stopped paying. I 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:18.520 would never do that to somebody. Just give me one year, 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:20.160 Just try me out for one year. 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:20.440 Yeah. 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:22.000 I was like, I promise you're going to get your 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:27.479 rent in cash a week in advance at minimum Jesus. 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:32.360 And she was just like, when's your birthday? I was like, uh, 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:36.480 November seventh, and she was like, i'll call you back. 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.000 And she really looked up my chart because she was 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:42.440 like totally into like astrology andrology and stuff like that. 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:44.560 She called me up and she was like, the apartments 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:48.280 yours come with security in first first month's rent. 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:51.240 And I was like, I couldn't believe it. 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:54.920 I had no furniture, I had nothing except just two suitcakes. 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:56.880 How did you get the money together? Well? 0:14:56.880 --> 0:14:59.920 I was bartending at this so at this time, I 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:03.800 it was all I had. Now started to bartend at Justin's, 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:09.560 which was Ditty's restaurant, and well, actually no, I got 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:13.400 I started bartending and cocktail waitressing, and then they fired 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:18.120 me because they were like, the last thing Puffy needs 0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:20.280 right now is in the legal alien that looks like 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.560 you working in his establishment because he's this was around 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:26.520 the club New York situation happening, and. 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:27.160 I was like, okay. 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:29.920 So the manager, John Vasquez, he was like, I've got 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:32.640 something set up for you. So he got me set 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.440 up in a totally different club. It was called Nicks. 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:37.960 It was on East thirty second between Fifth and Madison, 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.480 And anybody who was like, you know, going to clubs 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:43.120 during the Black Diamond and the Pisa Brothers' days, they 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:45.840 know exactly what I'm talking about. So at the same 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:48.800 time that I started, you know, working in this club, 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:54.680 this massive party promotion team called Black Diamond had started 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:58.600 doing parties and so I started making more money than 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:01.160 I've ever seen before in my entire life. And I 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:04.080 was a bartender back in Toronto, just from bartending, and 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:07.120 so when I was able to you know, when she 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:08.960 get when she told me that I had this apartment, 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:12.760 I was able to pay for it because I had like, nah, 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.040 I had made like a bunch of money and like 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:19.960 you know, tips and stuff like that, and yeah, so yeah, 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:23.080 that was that was That was how that happened. And 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.240 I ended up living in her apartment for the next 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:29.200 two and a half years. After the first year, she 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:30.800 didn't even make me sign another lease. 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:34.200 I was like, perfect tenant. I loved her. I just 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:35.240 I just loved her. 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:37.920 She came and saw me like we would like have 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:41.080 tea in the kitchen, and one day, like two months 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.520 into like me being there, she was like, Melissa, do 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.080 you know why I rented the apartment to you? I 0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:49.320 was like, because I was incredibly persuasive, and. 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:50.080 She was like no. 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:52.600 She was like, I looked up your chart, your numbers 0:16:52.640 --> 0:16:55.440 and whatever, and she was just like, it said that 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:59.400 you were extremely dependable and that your words bond. Whatever 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:01.800 you say you're going to do, you're going to do it, 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.720 and I would have no problems with you. I was like, Okay, 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:08.879 that's that's me. I'm pretty pragmatic and dependable and stuff 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:10.160 like that. And she was like, but it also said 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:15.080 something else. And I was like, and it said it 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:17.520 says you're going to be famous, but not for the 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:18.639 reason that you think. 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.320 And I didn't really know what to kind of like 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:23.040 make of that. 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:27.520 Yeah, I still don't know what to make of that, 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:30.080 you know, So but that was that was what she said. 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:36.600 And it ended up being like a really incredible like experience. Yeah, 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:38.240 my first apartment. Now keep in mind. 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:39.960 Did you ever ask her what her birthday was or 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:40.959 ever try to look up? 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:44.000 Well the no, because that wasn't my thing, you know, 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:47.280 Like and I feel like she was a Gemini because 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:48.640 I get the gifts for her birthday. 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:54.480 But I'm trying not to like fucking have this lying. 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:58.439 It's like, why is it so hard? Yeah? I should 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:00.920 have heated up for you. Did you guys have mic 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:04.399 wave here? It's fine, It's fine, she's gonna have to. 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:07.480 I'm gonna break it up in the bag for her, Okay, Yeah, 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:10.600 because those little rice things are savage. Can you can 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:13.040 just put the chunks in here? Okay, put the chunks 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.399 in here? So I think, all right that way. So, 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:18.480 after you know, you got settled into New York, what 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:20.760 was that next big power play that like changes the 0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:27.240 trajectory of your life? Sort of say I would. 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:30.040 So I'm still doing music videos at this time, Like 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.160 before i'd moved to the States and I was still 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:36.760 living in Canada. I had done big Pimpin' share she 0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:40.280 Laghos Thong song remix shake It Fast, like I'd already 0:18:40.280 --> 0:18:42.880 done those videos, but I hadn't. 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:45.840 Done this is before twenty one. This is this is. 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:48.080 Basically the year before. Oh no, actually it's like the 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:49.520 same year. It's the year two thousand. 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:51.560 Okay, yeah, And what are your parents saying like during 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:53.520 all this, because you're still really. 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:55.400 My dad has passed away. 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:58.160 He passed away when I was fifteen years old, almost sixteen, 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:00.440 So it was just me. 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:00.960 And my mom. 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:07.200 And honestly, the last couple of months of me living at. 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:09.560 Home was not okay. 0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:12.960 Me and my mom were at each other's throats. 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:15.680 So when I decided to. 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:19.800 Move to the New York I literally went downstairs to 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:23.399 the living room and said to my mother, I'm moving 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.080 to New York tomorrow. Can you drive me to the 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:29.760