S1 Ep33: Scare Bear

With the Venmo debit card, a taco in one hand and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking your rewards. Nice. Get up to 5% cash back with Venmo Stash on your favorite brands when you pay with your Venmo debit card. From takeout to ride shares, entertainment and more. Pick a bundle with your go-tos and start earning cash back at those brands. Do more Stash, get more cash. Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusions apply. See terms at Venmo.me slash Stash terms. Max $100 cash back per month. Want consistent color for every job? My Lowe's Pro Rewards members get a 20% paint discount on future purchases after paint annual qualifying spend reaches $3,000. Plus, order eligible in-stock paint and paint supplies by 2 p.m. for free same-day delivery by 8 p.m. Improving is easy at Lowe's. Excludes spray paint and mistints. More exclusions, terms and conditions apply. Subject to change. Details at Lowe's.com slash terms. Same-day delivery valid in select zip codes. Subject to driver availability. Details at Lowe's.com slash same-day delivery. Folks, we've been in a few scary situations over the years. The Sally House, Waverly Sanatorium. But overall, we've been pretty fortunate. Well, yeah. You know, we've always escaped with our lives. Although sometimes they're a little bit altered. That is so true. Remember the car that ran the red light at full speed and nearly T-boned me after I got back from the Sally House? I do. That is a wild story, sir. Something was definitely looking out for me that day, as I've said on the show. But that kind of stuff does make one think. What would happen to my family if something happened to me? The idea of me checking out and leaving them not only without the benefit of my vast paranormal wisdom, but no income is scarier than the Sally House ever was. I'd rather get prepared and make sure they're set up to succeed and be as comfortable as they can be in light of my tragic passing. Now, come on now. You're still here, but we are joking around, folks. You know what? But Scott's right. The world, whether you believe in the paranormal or not, is an uncertain place. Life insurance is something you want to get right. The right coverage and the right price, no matter where the status of your health stands. Find the right life insurance for you with SelectQuote. SelectQuote makes the whole process of finding life insurance super easy. They've been around for nearly 40 years and have helped over 2 million customers find more than $700 billion in coverage since 1985. And get this, they can do it in as little as 15 minutes. You know, I use SelectQuote to help my folks find the right Medicare Advantage plan for them, and they were terrific. But we haven't used them for life insurance, so it doesn't surprise me. But hold on a second. What about pre-existing conditions? Well, SelectQuote partners with carriers that provide policies for all sorts of health conditions. High blood pressure, like me, no problem. Diabetes, even heart disease, they've got options. You can even get same-day coverage of up to $2 million without a medical exam if you don't have any major health issues. With SelectQuote, they shop, you save. It's that simple. All right, I'm sold. So, how do our listeners get started? It's easy. Get the right life insurance for you for less at SelectQuote.com slash D-L-O. Go to SelectQuote.com slash D-L-O today to get started. That's SelectQuote.com slash D-L-O. Like Dead Letter Office. Ah, right. Astonishing Legends Network. The views and opinions expressed by hosts and listeners on the Astonishing Dead Letter Office are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Astonishing Legends Productions, the Astonishing Legends Network, or any affiliated entities or guests. When something unexplainable happens to you, it can make you feel isolated or alone. But trust us, you're not. For over a decade, you've been sending your strange stories to Astonishing Legends. And now it's time for our fellow legenders to hear them too. Join us weekly in Blanket Fortiana as we dig through your intriguing messages to the Astonishing Dead Letter Office. Tonight's episode, Scare Bear. So, Forrest, are you a fan of, like, stuffed animals and stuffed toys? Like, when you were a kid, did you have stuff like that? Yeah, I had a few, like every kid, I think. I think most kids had some. But it wasn't like I collected a bunch. There is one, though. It's funny because our good friend of the show, Bradley Netherton, and I were talking about popular toys that are now vintage and from that era. So, you know, late 60s, the 70s. And one was that Naga Monster from the 60s. Wow. Yeah. I don't know if you remember that. I had one. I don't. Essentially, it was a promotion, I think, for the actual product, Naga Hyde. Yeah. Which is made up fake leather, right? Isn't it? Or something like that? Well, it's probably, I'm sure, full of chemicals. Like everything is. People say there's chemicals. Look, it's nature. Natural things have chemicals in them. It's a little too broad. But the Naga Monster was used in the 60s to promote Naga Hyde furniture. Uniroyal developed that character. And then he had a series of dolls of different colors. And if you're of our age, you will certainly probably recognize this little guy. And how much did you say one was going for? Well, I mean, when you just brought it up to me just now, I saw one on eBay for $540. Oh, I should have kept that. I did not recognize it, though. I don't. You don't recognize that at all? I think this might predate me a little bit. Yeah, I don't recognize it. It was not for everybody. I think my dad had one because he was in advertising, and one of his clients was a furniture company. So that may have happened. It came by my way. But he got one for me. I wish I would have kept it. I could have made $500 on eBay. Yeah. But the idea is, you know, I had some of those. And I think for a while, you know, you had one that you just slept with, but not a huge collection. I know for some folks, though, that turns into a major collection. Yeah. I mean, well, people obsessively collect a lot of things and stuffed animals. I mean, you know, in E.T. She had a room for, of course, in the movies, the kids always have a pile of stuffed animals. I never really got into stuffed animals. I had more cars and trucks. And I did have the little green army men that I remember playing with in the dirt. And tiny Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia and all that stuff. But my mom didn't really ever buy a bunch of stuffed animals from me when I was a kid or stuffed people or whatever. And that's the other thing, too. As a car nut, I've never, I certainly love driving some of my cars that I've had over the years and very fond of some more than others. But I never anthropomorphized them. I didn't name them and I didn't call them, you know, she's running good today. None of that stuff. What you do with boats, you say, oh, well, she's a good boat. She's whatever. That's more of a maritime tradition. Yeah, that is different, though, what you're talking about here with, we've talked about this before with boats and ships. There's more of a superstitious and spiritual nature to boats, I think. Like I said, you have to name the boat. It's bad luck if you don't. That's right. There's a long tradition of doing that. And when you're going to be out in the ocean and that's the only thing keeping you from being dead, you really want to follow all the rules. So when your car breaks down, a lot of times you just get out and walk away or call somebody. That's the difference. And so same thing with airplanes. So it's ships of the air and sea. Yes. But, you know, I know a lot of friends that will say like, ah, that's old Betsy or that's Lucy. Yeah, and that's fine. And I don't look down. It just wasn't a thing for me. And the stuffed animals in my room weren't ever really a thing for me. Also, though, I just don't need a bunch of inanimate objects in my bedroom at night with faces on them. I'm not, I'm just, I'm not down. And tonight's story is one of the reasons why. Well, I hear you on that. Are you possibly referencing, once again, poltergeist and the symbol playing monkey? Well, not the monkey, but the clown in the chair. Yeah, well, yeah. Oh, the clown in the chair. Yeah, there's the monkey. You'll see why when you hear this letter. Of course. Well, this one starts out with a comment that I'm going to read, and then you can read the dead letter. How's that sound? That sounds great. Let's do it. So here's the content here. Now, to start off with context, this is in response to our Sally House series. I just want to say that I have a great respect for putting out the episodes in light of the personal experience you had, Scott. I don't know if I'd ever be able to do so. I was listening to part two and got to the point where the EVP was playing, not really too worried. I'd never met a person who was affected by loud noises, screaming, etc. Having grown up with four younger siblings and wasn't too worried. Until I started to hear the EVP. I didn't make it three seconds in before I had to immediately scramble to turn the podcast off and just saying things to overwhelm the sound so I could stop hearing it as fast as possible. I honestly have not felt that sense of dread since I was a little kid when I lived in a house I consider haunted. This was a little over a decade ago now, but more on this later. I honestly am just amazed at your overall collected way of going about the episode, knowing about that, and having experienced it personally. It's truly impressive, and I cannot begin to convey that feeling I have because it's truly a very brave thing to do. So there you go. So finally, some encouragement. Something nice to say. Your recording is stupid. Right. Yeah. Which is what a lot of people said. But Caleb, I just want to thank you for the kind words. I'm really just now getting over that experience. And you sent this email in a few years ago, so feel bad I didn't thank you personally back then. But wow, this story is so great. Forrest, since you did that last part, I will read the story. Please do. When I was around the ages of five to eight, I lived in this house in Missouri with my parents and then three siblings. And I experienced a couple of things, but two notable ones stood out in my mind. One was in my brother's shared bedroom, where one night I woke up and just couldn't get back to sleep. I peered over the rail of my top bunk, and I looked at this wicker basket that had a bunch of stuffed animals in the opposite corner of the room. As I stared at this one animal that looked away at an off angle from our bed, it slowly turned its head to look at me. I was surprised by this. I blinked a few times, and it returned to its original position. But as I continued to stare at it, it slowly turned its head back. I did this for what must have been an hour, amazed at this stuffed bear doing this. But the odd thing was that it didn't freak me out. And eventually, I got tired and went back to sleep with no fear or any sort of weird feeling. But this other event happened only once, and it was honestly why I was still afraid of the dark. First off, our basement in this house had the standard concrete walls and horrible lighting. But it was a full-size basement, and I believe it had the old drainage holes in the floors of a few rooms. Your typical Midwest basement. As kids, we never went down there alone and would rarely go down in pairs, only ever if mom or dad was with us or all four of us kids were down there playing together, usually if it was raining and we couldn't play outside. Well, there was one big room at the bottom of the stairs and a few side rooms to the left and right. I didn't remember why, but at one point, I believe my mom asked me to turn on the light in one of those separate rooms while we were kids down there playing. But I wasn't a big fan of the dark. I eventually went to flip the light switch, which was inside the room around the side of the doorway. As I walked up to the room, I started to feel an immense fear, and I tried to push past it because once I turned the light on, it'd be nothing. But as I reached around to hit the switch, I couldn't seem to find it, trying to only stick my arm in, not stepping into the room with my head turned away from the door so I didn't have to peek into what looked like an unnaturally dark room. All of a sudden, this intense dread and panic hit me, which made me start freaking out internally, trying to reach for the switch, which after a couple of seconds overwhelmed me to the point I just ran back to mom telling her I couldn't find the switch and I wasn't going to again. It freaked me out so much. Hearing that brief bit of audio from that EVP filled me with nearly that same level of dread. The pure rage absolutely freaked me out, and honestly, I was still trying to calm myself down after hearing that, which was about half an hour before I started typing this up. I can't imagine how you felt after hearing it, but I'd like to think that I could at least understand that feeling of wanting to wipe it from your memory, and maybe relate, albeit in the slightest of ways. So let me ask you this, Scott, because it's been actually a while since we've talked about this. I was there, of course, when that EVP first played. Now, of course, I was there in the room, but talking to somebody else when you played that, but I noticed your reaction. But what was the first feeling you got after hearing the EVP at the Sally House? Abject terror. You felt afraid? Yeah. I didn't want to be. I was afraid to be inside the house in that moment. Is that anything like what is described here in the letter? Well, it seems like it is. You know, it's funny. When I was going through a couple of stories today, which was my responsibility today, and trying to pick something out, when I first read this, I was like, oh, the best part of this is this bear looking at him in the bed. And then I was like, the second part, I'm like, well, what? He just got afraid. He didn't want to turn the light on. But then when I read how much he was connecting that feeling, like the EVP that we got at the Sally House, which is what this is all referring to, folks, for folks that don't know, we did a multi-part series on a haunted house in Kansas called The Sally House that we went to and got a strange recording. When he said how the EVP triggered that same feeling of terror, that was when I became more convinced that whatever he was experiencing in his basement was real and not the imaginary panic of a child just over a dark room. Because when I first looked at this, we've looked at all of these over the past several weeks. As we sit down to record, we're like, okay, well, what did we do last? Well, this last one was UFO. Let's do a ghost and whatever. So we're trying to pick through it. And I came back and I read it. And I was like, oh, yeah, this is crazy. This bear is looking at him. And then I was like, oh, that's a dark room in the basement. That's a little scary. I don't know. But just now, as I was reading it for the show to be recorded, I was like, oh, he's actually reacting to the recording. It's putting that fear into him. And for me, it's like I understand that almost better than the physical description of what was going on there. I know that feeling because of how I felt in the Sally house. And, you know, the only thing that I'll say about that, too, is that it's part of what's so jarring about it is that it's a U-turn. It was a radical U-turn for me. Now, for him, this wasn't that much of a U-turn because he was already afraid of that room. He was afraid of their basement, which is a normal thing for kids to be worried about. And, you know, it's always the spookiest part of your house, usually, unless dad's gone down to put a bar in and a pool table. But, you know, there's a ping pong and a big screen TV. Yay. All right. So but in some cases, like for me in the house that I was in in Kansas, I didn't think it was haunted at all. I didn't think we were going to find anything. And then when I heard that recording, I was jerked out of reality. It's like, you know, a bungee jump off of a bridge and you're about to hit the water. That was a feeling I had. So you had no other feelings at all, really, that were specific during the entire tour, right? No. I mean, I know that during that particular event, people who were with us were experiencing some things, but they were relatively small sort of benign haunting things. I mean, not totally benign, but a little strange, but nothing on the level of that recording. And I can tell that Caleb perceives me and himself as kindred spirits. And I'm OK with that. I think we might be there. I think we might be walking on the same ground a little bit. But, you know, who knows? There could have been. That's the thing. That's your gut. That's your instinct. For him, something is in that room, in that basement. Something dark was lurking in there. And, you know, if you believe any of this at all, when we talk about this stuff and it's where light is good and darkness is bad, this is where elementals thing, non-human things, things that were never human, that are dark. Maybe you get a feeling when you get near something like that, and you should. That's your fight or flight. That's your instinct. And I think there's two levels of fight or flight. There's the biological one. How do I protect this meat sock that I'm wearing? And then there's also one for your soul. It's like, oh, this is real bad. This is like, it doesn't matter if I die. Something even worse can happen than dying. And that's the kind of fear you have in that moment, I think. Yeah, I think both are probably primordial, meaning that they go back to the very earliest traces of DNA within our human being lineage. It's kind of the same thing when people talk about theories of night terrors and that that may go back. That's kind of like DNA memory of us being more primitive primates and falling, the fear of falling out of a tree. And that's a physical thing. It's like, obviously, you went up into the tree to avoid predators. And if you fall, not only going to break some bones and possibly die there, or now you are injured and also an easy meal for a large predator on the ground. So that's one type of that. But what about the metaphysical or spiritual fear? And I wonder if that's the same kind of trigger that is this specific or general is what I'm getting at. It's like, did you, are you sharing this very similar fear? I've talked about this a lot. And although I never wish for something you really don't want, because when you get it, you'll wish you hadn't. But I always say with that paranormal experience, which I've not felt yet, so many people have described is that inner down to the core feeling of dread and fear and terror that strikes them. And, you know, the few times that I have had anything kind of odd happen to me, there's been a concerned feeling. And I recently talked about this, I think on another DLO, where I was up in the, walking around the hills of Bannock, Montana at the ghost town there and getting this feeling of like, man, this is, this is weird. I am this thirsty. This is very strange. And I just drank a whole travel bottle of water and I'm still thirsty. And it's like, okay, something's very off here, but it was more primal in that I wasn't considering ghosts or anything kind of supernatural. It was just like, wow, this is not physically good. I need to start walking now and get down to town, which was, yeah, 500 yards away, thousand yards away, not very far, but I need to leave immediately. And that was the feeling, not that I was being chased out by ghosts. That was only later when I thought, I thought maybe there was, there's something spiritual. And so it wasn't a fear. It was a great concern though, because it did pop to my head. It's like, if I pass out here or collapse, like I could die just from an exposure part. Like I said, it was, it didn't make sense. It's like, yeah, maybe within two or three hours, my folks are going to come look for me. And there's other people certainly down in town that could, it was bare. It wasn't like I was out in the thick woods. It's, you probably could see me from main street down in the town there. But just the fact that like, this is going to be bad and I may not recover. I need to start moving now. And I later realized like that was an irrational fear, but more like not abject fear, but just very concerned. What I have never felt is what people talk about is that immutable or, you know, indescribable sense of just, again, primordial terror of your soul in danger, as you were saying. Yeah. And just that abject fear that, that happens because I think that's very specific. And I think that that is, again, that's another level that, uh, like I said, I, I've been in a few precarious situations, but not a real fear of, uh, of what we're talking about here. So again, just reaching in and turn that light switch on like, yeah, it's spooky and it's creepy, but I think there's something else there that's telling you get out of here, kid. Yeah. And interjecting that fear for you to have that reaction. It was, uh, I think there's a lot of things going on. It's just not one thing, especially in your case where it was, it was totally unexpected. It felt personal, like a message directly to you. And it triggered that kind of response. You know what I'm saying? Whereas, look, you've been through a lot of scrapes. You're, you're an Eagle Scout for, for goodness sake. I've certainly seen you, uh, not take anything daring, but like, you know, we've been off-roading and this and that. And there's that concern of like, well, if you don't pay attention and take some care, this could be dangerous, but we always take care. And here, like, there's nothing in the house that's going to hurt us. I mean, there's nothing, it's not like it's ready to collapse or start on fire. It was something more. And that was that spiritual metaphysical fear that you felt, which is maybe much greater than, than the physical fear. You know, let's, let's come back here to Caleb's bear, by the way, which is still a very fascinating component of the story for me. Cause I don't feel like I've heard a lot of other stories like that, where a stuffed animal or an inanimate object. And that's why I said, I thought about the clown in the original Poltergeist movie, which I cannot believe is now 42 years old. So a lot of people probably haven't even seen it, but, uh, there's a clown in the chair in the kid's room that looks at him and then he looks back and, and then it's not in the chair anymore, which is absolutely terrifying. That's the classic doll trope. You know, it's like the ventriloquist doll that turns its head and, uh, you know, you were speaking through it and that's speaking to you or the doll that turns, you know, talking Tina from Telly Savalas, a lot of T's in there, from the Twilight Zone. It's just things that are inanimate that suddenly come to life. Betsy, wetsy. Yeah. But I like this, this fact that, uh, this was happening, but Caleb wasn't afraid. He's like, well, this is really weird. Well, yeah, it didn't. So that did not freak him out. So that's the thing, like, I would like to know, I'd like to see a show of hands here for all the people that are listening. How many of you, if you were in your childhood room and you looked over at a wicker basket full of stuffed animals, which also, by the way, just on its own is kind of creepy. You look over the wicker basket full of stuffed animals and one of them slowly turns to look at you and then looks back and then keeps doing it for an hour. It's like, what is going on there? And because, you know, if you had all kinds of other things going along with that, you would say, oh, well this, that thing's possessed. We got an Annabelle situation. All I know is that that bear would have been gone out of that house before I went to bed that night, like gone. Well, or it could be interesting. Well, again, everybody's different. I would have kept it. Some people are, you know, going to burn it in a trash can in the backyard. If you're telling Savalas, you're going to take it to the shop in the garage and try and saw its head off with the, uh, with the chop saw. Everybody has a different reaction. I think in this case, like I always say is go by your gut feeling, you know, a lot of people get into trouble because they didn't have a warning feeling before starting to play with the Ouija board or do that ritual spell that unleashed a lot of torment later. They didn't listen to that inner voice that said, uh, you're probably not a good idea or other people. It's that, uh, that fear factor thing where it's like, yeah, that guy really felt creepy, but I wanted to do the good thing and help him with that couch into his van. Exactly. That's what I'm saying is that you can overpower those feelings, but those are more real world and, and physical, whereas this gets right to the core of your being. Like there's no discerning, like, uh, well, there's probably nothing in the basement room here. I'm just going to reach in and nothing to be afraid of. And, oh yeah, I'm a little creeped out, but I'm going to do it anyway. You know, that's the debate of the real world waking. Right. That's your mind saying, eh, there's probably nothing wrong with it. Like you say, there's probably nothing wrong with this guy. Oh, he looks hurt. Let me help him. People wanting to be nice overrides your fear of, yeah, all this is a big red flag. But you're going to ignore all that and be nice and help this guy out anyway, or let this guy come into your house to use the phone. That gets overridden where that fear should be what you're listening to here. Here, this cuts right to the quick. So we didn't have that with the bear and we didn't have it with no bear, just a light switch reaching around inside. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Different scenarios here, same house, same person, but as what we, and I think many people believe about the Sally house, there's not just one thing there. There are several beings or entities or energies there with different motivations. Because your favorite thing to say is, abouya bays. I could be, but there's usually- Abouya bays of spiritual, not elementals and non-elementals and humans and dead, lost souls and just general darkness. Yeah. I didn't feel that. What I'm saying is that, well, that's what one of the psychic mediums who was called in to investigate the Sally house, who was apparently very talented. What we were told is that, you know, she was going to do finally an investigation there for like a month long thing. And she just said, I can't even concentrate in here. Yeah. Getting back to the poltergeist theme here, what we just talked about in another Dead Letter Office episode was a Zelda Rubenstein saying, for one, you want to back off? You're jamming my frequencies. You want to hang back. So she needs some clarity in space, but she also alludes to one powerful thing controlling the others through a living human being, which was Carol Ann. So that's the other belief about the Sally house is that there's one larger entity. This is very common as well with our friend John and the sludge entity, that there is a more powerful entity or being or spirit that is controlling the others for its own gain, which is more energy or more power or getting them to do their bidding. And so it's never just one thing. I think it can be multiple things and each with their different objectives and levels of existence. And another interesting story I'd heard just quickly about benign spirits and more malevolent ones, the scenario that pertains a little bit to this was that this person who lived in this purportedly haunted house felt that there was a bunch of spirits in there. One was very negative, very violent and evil, but there were other ones. And so they do this. One of them, though, they thought was a past relative. And so they do this ritual to kind of clear the space out and it works for a while, like it often does. But the powerful thing came back and was tormenting them once again. And then they brought in a psychic medium who said like, yeah, you probably should have done that, the saging and the cleansing ritual, because you had a spirit here, which was, you know, like a great aunt or some older relative who was here in the house trying to protect you. But they were not as powerful as this powerful evil being. And so the cleansing ritual got rid of the good spirit. And now all that remains is the more powerful evil spirit. And so something was there that was trying to protect them and be benevolent and do battle with this other thing or keep it at bay was trying their best, but not succeeding. And then you got rid of the good thing and you're left with a bad thing. Not to bring it back around to how we opened this episode with the whole car talk thing, but that's what happens to me whenever I work on a car too. Somehow I managed to get rid of the thing that's working and make the thing that's not working more powerful. Hey, that's like anything mechanical or electronic. It's a trial and error. Well, Caleb, thank you. Thank you so much for sending this story in. Do you still have this bear? Did anything else ever happen? Why didn't it freak you out? Inquiring minds want to know. Folks, if you have a story like Caleb's, send it to deadletteroffice at astonishinglegends.com. Thanks for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode. The Astonishing Dead Letter Office is hosted by Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess and is executive produced by Tess Feifel. The show is edited and mixed by Sarah Voorhees-Wendel at VW Sound. The theme is based on the Astonishing Legends theme by Judson Crane at Founder Music, arranged by Alan Carissia, who composes all the other music in the show. Tommy Beaver Design created the logo. The announcer is John Bolton. That's me. Stories are lightly edited for length, content, and readability, but otherwise presented as they're sent to us. We're always looking for more dead letters, so if you have a story of your own you'd like to share, email it to deadletteroffice at astonishinglegends.com. Please include how you would like to be credited. First name only? First name last initial? Anonymous? A pseudonym? Let us know. Due to the number of emails coming in, we often cannot respond, but we do read them all. No part of this show may be reproduced anywhere without permission. Copyright, Astonishing Legends Productions. Exploring the unknown is what makes Astonishing Legends so much fun. But when it comes to dinner, nobody wants surprises. Marley's Spoon helps you eat well without overthinking it. Each meal is chef-designed, made with quality ingredients, and balanced so you feel good about what you're eating. With over 100 recipes to pick from every week, there's always something new to try, whether you're in the mood for a comforting classic, or something a little more adventurous. Marley's Spoon adapts to your life, from breakfast to dinner, and even those in-between snack moments. The subscription is simple and flexible, so it fits your schedule, no matter how busy things get. Go to marleyspoon.com slash offer slash pod 45 for 45% off your first order and free delivery. That's right. 45% off your first order and free delivery. That's marleyspoon.com slash offer slash P-O-D-4-5. Hello, hello. I'm Malcolm Gladwell, host of Smart Talks with IBM. I recently spoke with IBM's new director of research, Jake Embatta. We discussed his vision for the future of quantum computing. At IBM Research, what we always do is answer what is the future of computing, whether it's coming up with new algorithms, coming up with better AI, coming up with quantum, or coming up with just how do different accelerators go together. It's our DNA to answer the question of what is the future. Isn't it a perfect problem for IBM because you kind of need to have a legacy of building stuff? Yes. Building actual physical machines. Yeah. It's why I came to IBM. I wanted the experience, the culture of building hard things that others have not done before. Where do you imagine we are in the timeline of this technology? There will come a point when it will mature, right? Yeah. My cell phone is a mature technology at this point. How far are we from that point with quantum? By 2029, we'll build the first fault-tolerant quantum computer. That is one that can run a very, very large, large problem. To learn how IBM is building the future of computing, visit ibm.com slash quantum. This is Sophia Bush from Work in Progress with Sophia Bush. Check out this special moment we did on our show presented by eBay. When I was living in Chicago, I took part in my first ever giant charity sale, and I was able to auction several items from my personal closet on eBay. They were items that marked huge moments in my life and in my career, and though I was ready to pass them along, I also wanted to make sure they were going to someone who would love them. One of the things I loved the most about doing this with eBay is there was a way for everyone to shop. It wound up being so much fun to see where each and every item was going, where it was going to be loved. And in passing items along like that, authenticity really matters to the person who's getting them. That's why I love eBay's authenticity guarantee. They weren't just listing my items, they were verifying them, making sure something was genuinely from where it claimed to be, in this case, my closet. To listen to more, check out the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. Find what you love, sell what you don't. eBay. Things people love. All right, quick quiz for the hiring managers out there. What's worse, being understaffed or being poorly staffed? Well, that's a trick question, because both are recipes for chaos. Either way, just say to yourself, this is a job for Indeed's sponsored jobs. You'll get matched with candidates that meet the skills, certifications, and everything else you're looking for, or go a different way and get no traction. Seriously, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. It really is a no-brainer. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed's sponsored jobs. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help your job get the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed's sponsored jobs. With the Venmo debit card, a taco in one hand, and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking your rewards. Nice. Get up to 5% cash back with Venmo Stash on your favorite brands when you pay with your Venmo debit card. From takeout to ride shares, entertainment, and more. Pick a bundle with your go-tos and start earning cash back at those brands. Do more stash, get more cash. Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusions apply. See terms at venmo.me slash stash terms. Max $100 cash back per month. Ever notice that feeling your worst also seems to happen at the worst time in the worst places? Like sudden nausea at 9 p.m. when you're out of town. Really? Now? Fortunately, with Hartford HealthCare's HHC 24-7 app, you can get answers, diagnosis, prescriptions, even speak live with clinicians anytime, anywhere. So maybe there's never a good time to be sick, but at least the best care is always there. Download the app at your app store or hhc247.org. Enjoying a healthy dinner that tastes great means eating out at a pricey restaurant, right? Wrong. Healthy Choice Simply Steamers are delicious and healthy. The Tray in Tray Steam technology delivers crisp veggies and tender protein and tasty selections. Like Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Grilled Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo. It's a satisfying meal with 28 grams of protein and nothing artificial. Healthy Choice Simply Steamers. What having it all tastes like. At CVS, it matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and, yeah, healthy snack. At CVS, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So visit us at cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location. Store hours vary by location.