Steve: [00:00:29] hello.

Welcome to supper time. We're on episode four now, which is, I mean, that happened quick, right? Cause I just launched two days ago. so I'm here with Dr. Allen Rao who, many of you who are just like in my audience and following me on things. No, because he gave a Ted talk in may of 2019. and as I explained on stage, that was by virtue of my suggesting that he apply.

And then our whole volunteer team just loving him. and so. Alan, you got to give an amazing talk on a sort of passing a Baton in, in may. And I have since then said many times that you're like a walking Ted talk. And I'm so glad you got to stand up and give a TEDx talk. It was so much fun. But what I think is fascinating and many people don't realize is that we've known each other literally since I was born.

I think. and so I want to talk a little bit about that. How do you, what do you, when people ask us how we know each other, what do you say.

Allen: [00:01:19] Well, Steve, I, I refer to the fact that your mom and I were in a PhD program together at a Utah state. I mean, that's one of the things that comes to buy in first and foremost.

And, and, and, and she was just stating you there inside the hangar and then you arrived up in Logan, Utah. And so, I, I, the thing I remember most significantly about spending time with you very, very early in your life on you much. You were only a few months old at the time, was that it was, so you were born in June.

And so I think you would have been six months old when celebrate cause your mom and I, decided to carpool together in, in your, your marvelous, VW.

Steve: [00:02:01] Oh yeah.

Allen: [00:02:02] In the Cabriolet in the Cabriolet. Mmm. And so you were in your car seat in the back and. We trekked on down from Logan, Utah to Colorado Springs because our , our respective families were both in that area.

And so we had a lot of time on the road listening to you. and what, you know, what, what is that a babble, you know, or talk. Of course, in those early days, Steve was almost talking, I guess. But anyhow, that's my first extended experience with you. And then fast forward a little bit to. Maybe it would have been six years forward, I think, when you began learning to ride a bicycle, and at that time, I'm not sure why I was in Colorado Springs again, but I was, and, It was really, it was really huge for me because to me, kids have always been important and the relationship to kids, and I don't know, I somehow or another I have present my mind, I guess what it was like to be a kid. just intuitively, not necessarily specific, a whole lot of specific memories. Some, but not many.

But it's just that kinda gut feeling if you wish to, Hey, you're, you're, you're dealing with a really important being here. And, And I had that opportunity and it was really a flashback to me from my time in teaching my two sons how to, and of course since then I've adopted you as my, I call you my young son now.

Yeah. I feel the same way. I feel like you're a bonus parent, so it's such a, such a fun thing. The friendship that we have now. We reconnected though, really in serious, I think when you went to your 50th. A anniversary, graduating the air force Academy. Right. And that was a few years ago.

yeah, we did. And in fact, before we, you know, and getting ready for our, this, this conversation we're doing, I was thinking, was that yet?

I think that was it. Mmm. You

came out and visited the folks house and we ended up sitting on the porch and having tea and just rambling for hours about so many things. And it was so cool to get to catch up with you after so many years of, it was.

Yeah. It was fantastic. And so actually it was then. Then it, it that because your, your Monday conversations that you set up with me originated from then.

That

was that. Yeah. We started weekly conversations that we've had every week. Now, has it been two or three years?

It's been two years, actually. Three, no, no, no, no, no. Excuse me. Five