Teeter Talk

TT with HD: Jeremy Keck

HD: How do you spell yours?

JK: K-E-C-K

HD: Kect?

JK: C-K. Keck.

HD: Oh, okay. That means like 'biscuit' in German? [Ed. note: HD has some basis for thinking this (cf. Ger. Keks='cookie') ... ]

JK: Actually I looked it up, and it means bold and audacious.

HD: Okay. One, two, three. And one, two, three. Good job. Now you guys, in addition to having the same first name, are acutally roommates??

JK: We live together, we work together. Everything almost.

HD: Yeah, that's pretty weird.

JK: I have to drive him around everywhere. He has a pretty bad car at this point.

HD: But you both have cars?

JK: Oh yeah, we do. But mine looks a lot nicer. With this job, rolling into a neighborhood with a nice car looks a lot better. As opposed to a free Neon that's all banged up. Looks like it's a wrecked car just sitting on the side of the road!

HD: So listening to what the other Jeremy had to say on the teeter totter, did you notice anything that was maybe not entirely true? Was he telling the straight story?

JK: Yeah, it seemed all true to me.

HD: So he doesn't, in fact, watch a lot of regular network TV--he's watching a lot of documentaries?

JK: Yeah. We generally tend to do that. Like History Channel we tend to watch. Or documentaries, something that is educational and informs us. I have a big pet peeve with reality TV.

HD: Oh, yeah? You don't like it?

JK: And especially American Idol.

HD: Oh, man, that's some damn fine TV! [laugh]

JK: It's good, but you know more people voted on American Idol than in the presidential election. Just looking at that, what's wrong with our generation?

HD: But see, you can vote multiple times, that's the thing. If you could vote multiple times for a presidential election, I think you'd see a higher turnout.

JK: I don't know, I just meet too many people who would rather watch American Idol than actually what's going on with our country, in the world, the things that are important.

HD: So what would you consider to be one of the things that's really important that people ought to the paying attention to that they're not?

JK: Well, you know paying attention to what our politicians are doing in office and not letting them get away with whatever they've getting away with the last seven years. I'm a political science major so I take it seriously, definitely.

HD: So from what both of you have said it sounds like a typical weekday evening might be you guys sit around watching the History Channel together?

JK: Well, you know, it depends. We'll watch a lot of movies, too.

HD: Do you have Netflix or something like that?

JK: No. But we rent a lot of movies. Haven't been watching cable too much.

HD: So you're just about to wrap up this whole area for the AT&T job?

JK: Basically, yeah.

HD: So when you say this whole area, do you mean Ann Arbor or just our side of Ann Arbor?

JK: Just this area right here, this general region, not all of Ann Arbor. We still have a lot more people to talk to here in Ann Arbor.

HD: So where's the next area after this you're going to dive into?

JK: Ours is actually down Dexter and Maple Road. It's where were going to go next.

HD: So Dexter and Maple Road. Okay, so I'm trying to think if I know anybody who lives over there--I can give them a heads-up that you're going to be pounding on their door.

JK: No, no. Over Dexter, Maple there's a lot of dirt roads over there, neighborhoods not paved yet in that area of town. I'm trying to think, I'm not good with directions. It's around that general area.

HD: Basically that way?

JK: Yeah, pretty much that way.

HD: So you'll start in on that on Monday?

JK: Actually we already started in on it a little bit so far. We've met actually a lot of people there who are happy to know that there is something else out there.

HD: Besides the unnamed carrier that they currently have.

JK: Basically, yes.

HD: So have you factored in the Art Fair traffic into your plans?

JK: No, actually not. I didn't even know about the Art Fair.

HD: Okay, good to know is that the Art Fair starts on Wednesday this week--this coming week. And runs through Saturday. That's all downtown, but basically there's going to be a lot of extra traffic, so I would say, avoid anything close to downtown in your travels.

JK: That's good to know.

HD: I mean if you're just looking to get somewhere.

JK: Yeah, and the quickest way possible.

HD: If you want to hang out at the Art Fair, then of course you want to get down there.

JK: We might try that out as something to do, take a little break. That would actually be interesting.

HD: I always make a visit, because they have food booths, and you can get yourself an elephant ear, you know, a big fried piece of dough with sugar on top of it, and a corn dog. I feel like I haven't really experienced the Art Fair unless I at least go down and get a corn dog.

JK: The last art fair that I went to was in Farmington Hills a couple years ago. They always have this festival downtown every year. They have a beer tent there, and a lot of people set up their tents and everything. A lot of art, pottery, things like that, all in downtown Farmington.

HD: Huh.

JK: It's really interesting.

HD: So is that the area you grew up in?

JK: Farmington Hills all my life, yeah. I grew up in my parents' house, and they've lived there for 24-25 years now. My little brother was born in a bed in that house. So there's a lot of sentimental value to that house.

HD: Wow. So you remember the day your little brother was born?

JK: Yeah, it was right in my mom's bed.

HD: So was it planned that way, or that it evolve on an emergency basis, or?

JK: No, it was planned that way.

HD: So were you born in the 'regular' way like a hospital? [laugh]

JK: Yeah, was born in the hospital.

HD: And I say the regular way, ...

JK: ... yes, she decided that she didn't want to pump herself up with all of that medicine that they give you for that. Just wanted to have a natural birth.

HD: So did you have like a--what do they call it a midwife?

JK: Yeah, that's what it is.

HD: Or there's another word for it that begins with the 'D' I think like a douma?

JK: I have no idea.

HD: So how old were you at that time?

JK: Let's see, my brother is 18, so I was about six.

HD: So do you remember feeling like, Oh, man my brother was born in the really cool way, and I was only born in the conventional way--any sort of jealousy on that score?

JK: Bascially, I didn't know what the heck was going on the whole day. The next thing I knew, the next day I come back--they had one of their friends babysitting me--and I came back and I see my little brother there all of a sudden. And I was like, What's going on? Who's this?

HD: So if he's 18 now, then next year will be his first year out of high school, or will it be his final year of high school?

JK: Actually, he just finished up high school or did. He's going down to somewhere in Chicago, I think, going to a private college down there.

HD: So listen, is there anything you wanted to make sure we touched on before we hop off the teeter totter?

JK: Oh jeez I don't know. Do you have any more questions for me?

HD: No, I don't think so. Well, how does this ride, as far as teeter totters go?

JK: It brings back a lot of memories. We never had one on our playground. We had those merry-go-rounds. But at the park near where I grew up, we had these. We had two parks near our house, so we would go down there and ride these all the time.

HD: Now, I've had several people who've ridden the teeter totter talk about the awful experiences they had with like riding with a heavier kid, and they would jump off and let them crash to the ground. But I've never had anybody like fess up to actually being the person who did that. How about you, do you want to be first to confess?

JK: [laugh] Well, being a big brother, yes, I kind of tortured my brother a little bit when I was a kid. That's natural, that's part of being a big brother. I would do it all the time, I would just be sitting there like this, and all of a sudden I would fly up like that. But, you know, I was little, too. I thought it was funny.

HD: Now, of course, you would never do that.

JK: No. Well, I don't know, maybe with Nettles here! Just as a joke.

HD: But you see, I'm not even grabbing on for dear life, that's how much trust I have in you.

JK: I'm just kidding, I would not do that.

HD: Well, listen, I'm just tickled to death that you guys stopped back by. Thanks a bunch for coming for a ride.

JK: Oh yeah, well, like we said, we were talking about it. We actually checked out your website, and we thought it was real interesting, and we wanted to give it a shot.

HD: Well, I'm glad you did. And you know one of the perks of being an alum of the teeter totter now, is that you can point anyone you like in this direction.

JK: Oh that's awesome.

JN: We gotta get Chad out here!

HD: And the other thing that is a perk of being an alum of the teeter totter is that you guys know where it is now, right? So you can come back and ride anytime you like.

JK: Maybe we should bring Matt.

JN: That would be cool.

HD: What I'm really hoping sometime, is that I will hear that squeak in the backyard and I will come back here and there will be two people teeter tottering just for fun, who I didn't necessarily invite over here. That's my goal.

JK: Really?

HD: Yeah. I think that would be really fun.

JN: You wouldn't have a problem with us just randomly coming over?

HD: No.

JK: What if there's like 10 people all ready ...

HD: ... people all lined up to ride the teeter totter? Well, I think it's very unlikely, but if it did happen, it would just thrill me to death.

JK: Can we bring beer?

HD: Well, sure. This is not a public park. It's private property, and we have enjoyed a beer or two out on the teeter totter before, so. So long as there is no wanton destruction of property.

JK: Nah, we would not do that. We would not operate the teeter totter while drinking.

JN: How did you get the other teeter totter up in the office building?

HD: They actually have a really wide stairwell. Nickles Arcade, it's an old building and was built back in the day when they built stuff wide and tall. So we didn't even have to finagle it. Alright man, let's hop off!

JK: Alright.