All right, the Big Picture.
So, this is my favorite thing in the whole place.
If you actually go to the observatory, they have this photo printed, huge,
on this massive wall that's bigger than our auditorium.
-Mandy. -So, this is the whole universe?
That's a great question. See, that's-- No. That's the crazy thing.
This is just a really small slice of the universe.
So, if you hold up your finger…
Hold 'em up. Yeah. Good.
If you went out at night and you held your finger up to the sky like this,
you'd probably only be covering up, like, one or two stars, right?
But if you had a telescope, you would see all of this.
All of these stars and galaxies, and everything in this photo,
it's just one finger's worth of the universe.
And that's all the time we have.
Sorry. One more thing before we go.
I do have to ask a question for the end-of-year survey I've been doing.
So, can you raise your hand if you'd like to do more astronomy?
One, two, three, four. Nice.
And raise your hand if not.
Ramon. Really? Why not?
I don't know.
I guess it just makes me feel small.
I get it.
I guess now's also probably a good moment to ask just how everyone's feeling.
You know, being stuck at home and everything.
Anyone wanna share anything they're feeling?
Okay, cool.
So, where'd this girl come from?
Tinder, or… What's the other one? Bumble?
Oh, shit. Was it Jdate?
-Was it actually Jdate? -No.
Her mom works with my mom.
-Oh, my God. Wow. -I know. It's really awful.
I didn't want to do it, but my mom really wanted me to.
So I was like, "Okay."
But then lockdown happened, so I thought I got out of it,
but then she brought it up again, and so now I have to do it on Zoom.
-Is it boring? -No.
'Cause I would be ecstatic to not talk about this.
Oh, my God. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired.
-You look tired. -Fuck you. I don't look tired.
-No. I'm saying, are you okay? -Nah, I've just been having bad dreams.
Uh-huh.
What happens in the dreams?
Just a lot of people with no masks on.
-Really? -For real. Yeah.
-That is so weird. -How's that weird? It's pretty…
'Cause my dreams don't make that much sense.
I have those too. But these--
-These are fucking scary, man. -Yeah.
I'm running and running, trying to get away from them.
Like, "Get the fuck up off me. Why aren't you wearing a fucking mask?" Right?
But wherever I go, there's somebody else there with no mask on, right?
Yeah.
And then I don't wanna fall back asleep,
'cause I'll just see them.
Yeah.
This guy at work got it.
He got it at work?
No. A family party, I think.
-He won't admit it, but I'm pretty sure. -Jesus Christ.
Is he okay?
I don't know, man.
I haven't heard from him.
You okay?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
I'm good.
Do you play music?
Are you asking 'cause-- You s-- The--
-You saw the guitar. -Yeah.
Sorry.
That's really embarrassing. I was actually gonna move that.
I opened up the Zoom
and I saw it back there, and I was like--
I don't wanna come off as that guy that's like, "Look at me, I'm a musician
'cause I have a guitar in the back of my Zoom."
Like-- I-- Yeah.
I just thought if I moved it now, that'd be weird.
It'd, like, draw more attention to it. So…
Yeah. I didn't think you'd see that. Sorry.
It's okay. We don't have to talk about your guitar.
-It's fine. -No, it's fine. I don't-- It-- Yes.
I am a musician. Kinda.
What do you mean, "kind of"?
Good question. What do I mean?
I guess I don't do it professionally?
Well, yeah. Yeah, I know that.
That's a good thing. Don't worry.
Wait. How do you know that?
-You're a teacher, right? -Yeah.
Yeah. Well, I wouldn't have agreed to go on a date with an actual musician. So…
An actual musician?
I'm sorry. I meant to say a professional
or, you know, someone in the business. Industry.
Right. Well, then I'm your guy.
I didn't mean to say you're not an actual musician.
-Don't worry. It's fine. Don't worry. -I apologize.
-Are you in a band or… -You don't have to ask me about it.
-We don't have to talk about it. -No, I'd really like to know.
Tell me.
Okay. No, I'm not in a band.
But there's a lot you can just do by yourself, I guess.
With overdubbing and everything.
Okay. What's overdubbing?
That's, like, just when you record,
if you play a bunch of different parts and put 'em together.
Got it. So you're making an album?
No.
I mean, what's an album anymore, right?
I don't know.
Yeah. I'm making a…
I don't know what I'm making. I'm making something. It's gonna be great.
It's almost done, actually. Just needs drums and… Yeah.
-Sounds cool. -Thanks.
So, when are you gonna do the drums?
Drums are hard. Drums-- It's like--
Recording a real drum set's the only thing you still can't do in a bedroom, you know?
You can use fake drums, and that's what everybody does,
but it's not the same.
So…
-Uh-huh. -Yeah.
Okay. So, how are you gonna finish your song?
Why?
I--
I just like finishing things.
Look, I don't know anything about music. So…
Everyone knows something about music, right?
Not me.
What, you never listen to music?
No, I do. I like music.
I just don't know anything about music.
What's the last song you listened to?
I wouldn't know that.
Okay. What's one song you like right now?
Definitely no idea.
Okay. What's one CD you remember having when you were a kid?
I didn't own any CDs.
Uh-huh.
They were really expensive. I remember that.
Very expensive. Sure.
That was all my money. Like, everything I had, I spent on CDs.
'Cause back then, you know,
that was really the only way you could listen to music.
Like if you wanted to hear anything specific.
Otherwise, just the radio.
-I only listen to the radio. -Oof.
Oof? What's wrong with the radio?
You know what? Nothing.
Okay.
What?
No. I just…
I think you're onto something.
So, where'd you grow up?
I grew up here.
-Yeah? Where? -LA.
No, I know. Like, where?
The Valley.
Me too.
-Really? Where? -Van Nuys.
Funny. My parents still live on Ranchito.
Wow.
We must've, like, played in a park together or something.
We never went to parks. My mom hated parks.
How do you hate a park?
Well, it's more the playgrounds. You know?
She despises sand, among other things.
-She sounds charming. -Hey. Be nice.
Okay. Sorry, sorry.
Do you wanna see her?
Yeah.
She introduced us. I should thank her.
Here she is.
-That's your mom and dad? -Yeah.
-That's really sweet. -Thanks.
I love it when people aren't smiling in pictures.
Really? Why is that?
It just feels honest, I guess.
Like, I never feel like smiling when someone's pointing a camera at me.
Yeah. Well, they don't really smile ever.
-You know? Not just in pictures. -That can't be true.
Yeah, it kind of is.
What do you mean, "kind of"?
You know, they had a really hard life. Really different from us.
And where they came from, at the time, it was really bad.
And, you know, they came here with nothing and figured it out.
Yeah. That's kinda like my great-grandparents.
On my mom's side, anyway.
I only have one picture of my great-grandfather,
and he is not smiling in it at all.
-Where is he from? -Russia.
Russia.
-Yeah. Where are your parents from? -Korea.
Bunch of my students are first-generation.
Like, their parents came over, I guess. Like yours did.
It's… It's a thing.
What do you mean?
No, I mean, each one of them's different, but--
Yeah, like, there's this one kid, and she's--
Well, she's from here, but her parents are from Iran.
And some of the stuff she talks about and writes about
is so different from anything I was thinking about when I was ten.
You know? Like she…
Like, she always used to go back there every summer.
But then a couple of years ago she had to stop going,
'cause I guess they're, you know, scared of our government.
And it's an awful thing.
And I feel really bad for her,
but I do think that in a way, it's making her stronger.
Like, she is so aware and sharp and passionate.
And she's gonna grow up and kick ass. I'm telling you.
Like, I would bet on that girl. I'd bet.
-What's her name? -Nicki.
Nicki.
Are you hungry?
Yeah.
-Sure. -Me too.
He goes, "It just makes me feel small."
-Oh, my God. -I know. I just love him.
He's such this heartfelt, thoughtful guy.
Does the universe make you feel small?
Yeah. Doesn't it for you?
Well, that's not the main thing I feel when I look at that picture.
You know the Big Picture?
Yeah, dude. I grew up here.
-I've been to the Griffith Observatory. -Yeah. Right, right. Right.
-I love the Big Picture. -So do I.
But you just said it makes you feel small.
It does.
Right.
Yeah, but for me, it's more like, "I can't believe I get to be human."
You know? With a body and a brain and hands and eyes.
And I can see things and do things.
Like, I get to be this crazy, complicated machine
because, what, out of all the empty space and specks of dust and gas,
there's this one little rock where the conditions are just right?
And it has warm water,
so particles in the ocean can bump into each other
over and over and over again for, like, billions of years
until they start sticking together and reproducing.
And that evolved into me?
And now I get to sit here and eat delicious vegetable curry
and talk to you over Zoom.
I mean, what?
That is the opposite of small.
You know? Everything else is so small. How did I get to be this big?
Wow.
Yeah. Big is something I never feel.
-But you know what I'm saying. -Yeah. It's a miracle.
No. It's not a miracle.
That's what's so cool about it. It really happened.
You know? Miracles are fake.
Not necessarily.
-That is the definition of a miracle. -No, it's not.
Okay. Define "miracle."
Okay.
A miracle is something you can't explain.
Right. But we can explain this. You know?
It's not some story that somebody made up. It's science.
-Science is made of stories. -Careful.
What?
-Don't be anti-science. -I'm not.
Well, it sounds like you are.
You just said that science is made up of stories.
But stories is the opposite of science.
Stories is what gets us into so much trouble.
Okay, wait. Science, at least how I understand it,
is people trying to figure out what's really going on, right?
But one of the coolest things about scientists is they're humble enough
to admit that they can never really know anything for sure, like 100% absolutely.
So, you know, they do their best.
They look around. They gather evidence.
And they try to make sense of it all by telling a story.
And that story is called a hypothesis.
And then they test their hypothesis by gathering more evidence.
And sometimes they're wrong, and they have to change their story.
Sometimes they're right, and they get to keep their story
until they find some new evidence that proves their old story wrong,
and then they have to come up with a new story.
Is that what you tell your students?
Yes.
Yes, it is. That's kinda my spiel.
I like it.
You do?
Well, thanks.
But you still shouldn't tell them that science is made up of stories.
They're just gonna think that it's all made up.
Okay. What should I tell them?
I could say it's made up of true stories.
Okay.
Stories that get more and more true.
Great.
Cool.
That's what I'm gonna tell 'em from now on.
-Great. That sounds good to me. -All right. If it's good with you.
It is. It is.
All right.
Really?
Yeah.
It doesn't seem like you.
Well, it's not anymore. But it definitely was.
Severe depression?
What's the "severe" mean?
It means it was severe.
I wonder if my anxiety is severe.
You have anxiety?
Yeah. I think so.
Well, you would know if it were severe.
It feels pretty bad.
That's not really severe.
No. Like, I had to miss work one day.
I had to miss work for seven weeks.
What?
No, no. No. It-- I just--
I would've thought what I had was severe.
Are we gonna turn off the lights?
Sure.
Now I can't see you.
That's all right.
Remember back when people used to just talk on the phone
without seeing each other on video?
Oh, yeah. Like way back in February.
I can still hear you breathing.
This is like being 14.
What do you mean?
You know, like with boys back then.
We would just talk on the phone for hours and hours.
Well, right. Yeah. Because nobody could drive.
So there's no way to be together in person.
Yeah. Like, I had this one boyfriend.
I guess you can call him that.
That's what I called him at the time, "my boyfriend,"
but we, like, never saw each other in person.
It all happened over the phone.
What all happened?
-Oh, it all happened. -What?
You know. Just, I would tell him what I was gonna do to him.
Uh-huh. What would you say?
I'm not telling you.
-Why not? -Because.
Okay.
Did you ever do the things you said you were gonna do to him?
-No. -No?
Yeah, no. It just wasn't the same in person.
You know? There was just something about being on the phone.
So maybe it's a good thing our first date was on a computer.
Maybe.
What do you think would've happened if we had gone on a real date?
I don't know. I hate dates.
-Me too. -No. I hate it.
No. Me too.
Like, as soon as I get there, I always just want it to be over.
Well, yeah.
Because usually, I know within the first, like, 60 seconds
that it's not going anywhere.
Yeah, exactly.
I do miss going to restaurants.
I don't.
First dates just shouldn't be in public.
-It's too performatory. -What are you talking about?
First dates should always be in public in case the guy turns out to be a rapist.
Okay.
But it's not the other people that bother me so much.
It's just the whole situation.
It feels like a job interview.
You're sitting across the table from them
and you're both, like, assessing each other,
and it just feels so transactional.
And then, at the end, you're supposed to maybe kiss.
I mean, who wants to kiss someone they just met?
We just met. I wanna kiss you.
I wanna kiss you too.
You do?
Yeah. I think so.
But you wouldn't if we were on a real date?
Probably not, huh?
Good night.
Then I would think you didn't like me.
And I wouldn't want to be pushy, so I wouldn't call you right away.
And then you wouldn't think I was all that serious
'cause I didn't call.
So then you wouldn't call me, and then we'd both just move on with our lives.
Are you sleeping?
Anyway. It's a lot.
Which is why I should probably go
'cause I have to put all of that together in a presentation by end of day.
Wow. That was a lot.
That's…
It's really exciting.
Yeah. It is to me anyway.
Yep.
It's an exciting time just to be alive.
-What? Right now? -Yeah.
I mean, I wouldn't exactly call it exciting.
Why, because of COVID?
Yeah. And a lot of other things.
Right. But I'm talking on a macro-level.
I don't think it gets much more macro than a global pandemic.
Sure it does.
This has only been going on for a few months.
Yeah, but it's gonna keep going on for probably a long time.
Right. Even if it goes on for a few more years,
I'm talking about the era we're living in.
I don't know. This feels like this is the era we're living in.
Do you think it's just gonna get worse from here on out?
That's what's happening with a lot of people.
No, not for most people.
Not in the long run, if you really look at the numbers.
Yeah, but come on.
How about looking at people's lives and not just numbers?
You know, a lot of my friends, we've been talking about this.
-About what? -And…
well, out of all the people that we know,
you know, the ones that are freaking out about this whole thing are white males.
-And I-- -Okay.
I think it's because, you know, you guys have always had this privilege
of expecting things to just be fine and work out.
And now that, you know, you guys are faced with some adversity,
it could feel like the end of the world.
I don't know what to say.
I mean, yeah. I'm white and I'm male, and I--
I know that's a privilege.
But I don't think that I fit into what you're talking about.
I know.
Look, if you think I think everything's always just gonna work out,
that just means you don't know me.
Like, I never think that anything's gonna work out.
Maybe that's why you don't finish things.
I should probably get going.
All right.
-Bye. -Bye.
Damn.
Hi. You've reached Emily Song.
Leave a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks.
Hi, Emily. It's Josh.
I guess I'm leaving you a voice mail.
I don't know if you ever listen to your voice mails. I don't.
But I wanted to tell you I was sorry, and I didn't wanna just text that. So…
I really am sorry.
I know I can be negative sometimes, and it's not how I wanna be.
But also, I was just thinking about
how you were saying that you don't know anything about music.
Sorry, this is gonna be a long voice mail. I was just listening to something.
It was "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks.
But it actually doesn't matter what the song is,
and that's sort of the point, that I was--
I was listening to this song and trying to remember what album it's on,
then what year that album came out, then other albums that came out that year.
And I realized I wasn't paying any attention to the song.
I was just, like, so busy
thinking about all these other little, dumb things that don't matter.
And, if I didn't know any of that stuff,
then maybe I could actually just listen to the music.
And that made me think…
I'd really like to listen to some music together, with you, sometime.
'Cause I wanna see how you do it.
I… I really like you.
Okay. Bye.
-Hey. Come on in, man. -Hi. Thank you.
Welcome. This is the space.
-It's beautiful. -Thank you.
All right.
So I'll just get the rest of your payment.
-Credit card? -I paid on the phone though, right?
Well, you paid half on the phone and half in person.
Got it, okay.
Okay.
This thing is slow today.
That's fine.
No, didn't go through.
But I mean,
I just paid for the other half of the session with that same card. So…
-I'll try again. -Yeah, 'cause the--
Like maybe the thing-- Bit slow.
-No-go. Maybe you're maxed out? -I'm not maxed out.
-I am maxed out. -You have another card?
I do, but I never use it is the thing.
'Cause I maxed that one out,
so I started this one 'cause it has a lower interest rate,
and I'm slowly paying back the old one.
Then you probably have enough to pay for the rest of the session on it.
That's true. I just told myself I wasn't gonna use that card.
It's the right decision, man.
-It's painful. -I don't care.
Sorry.
-Can we just go again, please? -Yep, goin' again.
Now hear this.
Now, here, this
Nowhere else
Now, here, this
Nowhere else
-The times -The time
The time
Okay, okay, o--
Now, here, this
Now hear this.
Now, here, this
Is it possible they do not realize that we shall never cease?
Nowhere else
We won't cease-- We won't cease--
Now, here
Now, here, this
The task which has been set us is not above our strength.
Nowhere else
Here we are together.
Now, here
Now, here, this
Nowhere else
Now, here, this
-Now you see. -Nowhere else
Now hear this.
Now hear this. Now--
You wanna hear that one?
Yeah, just give me a sec.
-From the top? -Yeah. Thank you.