DLO-231: The Kids in the Parking Lot

**Forrest Burgess** (0:02)
Astonishing Legends Network.

**John Boll** (0:07)
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.

**Scott Philbrook** (0:37)
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 We're 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 Forteana as we dig through your intriguing messages to the Astonishing Dead Letter Office.

**John Boll** (1:11)
Tonight's episode, The Kids in the Parking Lot.

**Forrest Burgess** (1:17)
Tonight, we're going back to the summer of 1996, and we're getting off the highway in the dead middle of Pennsylvania, like almost a geographical center. As a former part-time resident of Bucks County, which is on the eastern border of Pennsylvania, I can tell you, getting off the road in the middle of rural Pennsylvania is a bigger decision than most people think.

**Scott Philbrook** (1:38)
Why is that?

**Forrest Burgess** (1:39)
Well, it's just very remote. It's a spooky state, and it's a gorgeous state. It's beautiful, it's wonderful, it's amazing, but it's spooky.

**Scott Philbrook** (1:47)
Well, I guess a lot of people treat Pennsylvania as a drive-through state. I can't imagine why, but it does have a complicated personality.

**Forrest Burgess** (1:55)
Yeah.

**Scott Philbrook** (1:55)
There are a lot of amazing places between Philly and Pittsburgh, but there's also a lot of roads less traveled in the middle, shall we say.

**Forrest Burgess** (2:03)
Yeah, and taking the road less traveled makes all the difference, unless you're trying to find food-fueled lodging in the middle of rural Pennsylvania.

**Scott Philbrook** (2:11)
Well, our listener tonight, John, at the time was a college kid out of New Jersey, and was on his first big solo road trip to Gen Con, which is North America's largest tabletop gaming convention. That sounds like a lot of fun, and that was founded by one of the co-creators of Dungeons and Dragons, Gary Gygax.

**Forrest Burgess** (2:31)
Yes, that's super cool. I actually was at a party once in Hollywood when we lived out in LA, and it was something my wife got invited to, and I got to go because that's how it always was. But the guy throwing the party actually owned one of Gary Gygax's sandals, and people were passing it around at the party. Yes, I actually held Gary Gygax's sandal.

**Scott Philbrook** (2:53)
Why? Isn't he missing a sandal? What did Gary have to say about this?

**Forrest Burgess** (2:57)
He's no longer with us.

**Scott Philbrook** (2:58)
I know, but what's the story behind this?

**Forrest Burgess** (3:03)
I don't remember the story. I do gather that it was either pretty expensive or perhaps it was won in a game of D&D. I'm not sure.

**Scott Philbrook** (3:10)
Was there a vibe with it? I mean, it's like a relic. What's the importance?

**Forrest Burgess** (3:14)
Yes, it was treated like a relic. Absolutely treated like a relic.

**Scott Philbrook** (3:16)
Okay.

**Forrest Burgess** (3:17)
Very good word for it.

**Scott Philbrook** (3:18)
All right.

**Forrest Burgess** (3:18)
The guy throwing the party, he only had one of them.

**Scott Philbrook** (3:21)
Okay.

**Forrest Burgess** (3:21)
Like I said, I don't fully remember its background story. Anyway, I'm pretty sure if you look it up on Instagram, if you look up Gary Gygax Sandle, a picture of him holding it comes up right away.

**John Boll** (3:32)
Okay. Well. Anyway, I digress.

**Forrest Burgess** (3:34)
Let's get back to John's dead letter. So our listener John is on his way to Gen Con with his friends, and they're in the middle of Pennsylvania. They're thinking, let's get off I-80 here and look for something to eat.

**Scott Philbrook** (3:46)
Yeah. Well, there should be a lot of good eats along the road, and John is from Matuchin, New Jersey. I just want to say, I just re-listen to me reading this story.
I think it may have slipped out where I said Matuchin. Now, in my defense, if you know me at all closely, personally through text, even in written form, I like to play around with the language. I like to manipulate how words sound, and that's why I feel a kinship with performers and creators like Matt Berry and Frank Black of the Pixies.

**Forrest Burgess** (4:22)
Yes. Well, nice.

**Scott Philbrook** (4:23)
But even when I know it's the wrong thing or the incorrect thing, I'll often say it.

**Forrest Burgess** (4:27)
This is an elaborate excuse for mispronouncing Matuchin.