On this Valentine's Day special, Dave interviews App State students to discover what they truly love.

Transcript

Dave Blanks: February the 14th. Valentine's day, folks. So when I say that, does it strike dark, fearful, dread to the very core of your heart? Or, does it carry you away on a sweet zephyr with like chocolate whispers, and pink stuff, and red stuff, and stuff that smells good and that kind of you know lovey stuff? Love, right? Love is the topic for today, on the Valentine's Dave by the Bell.

Dave Blanks: Ha ha.

Dave Blanks: Yeah. I'm asking App State students about a love that they had back then. They still have it now. Come along with me, won't you? The answers are waiting for us right out on Sanford Mall.

Lauren Stander: I really like going on outdoor adventures, like hiking. But also pretending along the way that I'm doing something else.

Dave Blanks: Like what?

Lauren Stander: Like I'm in Lord of The Rings or something.

Dave Blanks: Heck yes. All right. So, I love that. Okay. And can you do me a favor and finish this sentence? Love is...

Lauren Stander: Communication.

Quinn Fisher: I'm Quinn Fisher. I'd say drawing. My sister one day came home from art class and she drew what she called manga. It was not manga, or manga. It was horrifying. But that started all four of us drawing and competing with one another.

Dave Blanks: Was she your older sister?

Quinn Fisher: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: Okay.

Quinn Fisher: She was in fourth grade, I was in kindergarten.

Dave Blanks: And you saw what she brought home from art class, and in kindergarten you were so horrified.

Quinn Fisher: Oh, I thought it was phenomenal at the time.

Dave Blanks: Oh, you loved it? Oh.

Quinn Fisher: Looking back, we all cringe at our old art though. It's like...

Dave Blanks: Wait. So at the time you were like blown away?

Quinn Fisher: Oh, I was totally impressed.

Dave Blanks: Well, give your sister a shout out for being the inspiration for the thing that you still love.

Quinn Fisher: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: So, what's your sister's name?

Quinn Fisher: Arafel Fisher.

Dave Blanks: All right.

Quinn Fisher: She's great.

Dave Blanks: All right. Arafel?

Quinn Fisher: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Dave Blanks: All right, cool. So now can you finish this sentence? Love is...

Quinn Fisher: Fulfilling. It nourishes you.

Dave Blanks: Ah.

Quinn Fisher: It doesn't matter what you love, as long as it gives you that warm feeling and makes you happy. You don't have to love someone or be in a relationship. Just...

Dave Blanks: Draw something cool for Valentine's day.

Quinn Fisher: Draw something cool from Valentine's day!

Clara Upsall: I'm Clara Upsall.

Clara Upsall: Music.

Dave Blanks: Okay. What was the first music that you fell in love with?

Clara Upsall: Oh God. Taylor Swift.

Dave Blanks: T Swizzle. All right. What song by Taylor Swift were you like, "Yes, this is my jam."?

Clara Upsall: Our song...

Dave Blanks: Our song?

Clara Upsall: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: Oh, is that... Is that the Tim McGraw thing?

Clara Upsall: No.

Dave Blanks: No, no.

Clara Upsall: That's a new one, though.

Dave Blanks: How does Our... Tim McGraw is really good. How does Our Song go?

Clara Upsall: "Our song is a slamming screen door."

Dave Blanks: Oh yeah. The slamming screen door song.

Clara Upsall: Yeah, that one.

Dave Blanks: All right, I won't make you sing anymore of it.

Clara Upsall: Okay.

Dave Blanks: That was great. That's a good one. So you still love Taylor Swift?

Clara Upsall: No, I hate her now.

Dave Blanks: Wait! No, the point was you've got to have something that you love.

Clara Upsall: Oh, that I still love?

Dave Blanks: That you still love.

Clara Upsall: Oh, I said music.

Dave Blanks: Oh yeah, that's right. And she was the first one.

Clara Upsall: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, but music. Overarching, music.

Clara Upsall: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, okay. All right. Fair enough. Fair enough.

Clara Upsall: Yes, mm-hmm (affirmative).

Dave Blanks: Okay. All right. Here's the second part. Can you finish this sentence just right off the top of your head? Love is...

Clara Upsall: Hard.

Dave Blanks: Love is hard.

Clara Upsall: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: Yeah. Okay. What's hard about love?

Clara Upsall: Oh man. Finding it.

Dave Blanks: Yeah?

Colin Bokhoven: I am Colin Bokhoven. I loved my pets in the past, and I guess I love my new ones.

Dave Blanks: Tell me about your pets that you have now that you love.

Colin Bokhoven: Currently I have two snakes, but I used to own cats, dogs, birds.

Dave Blanks: What are your snakes names?

Colin Bokhoven: Apollo and Chupacabra.

Dave Blanks: What kind of snake is Apollo?

Colin Bokhoven: Corn snake.

Dave Blanks: And Chupacabra, also a corn snake?

Colin Bokhoven: Nope, he's a ball Python.

Dave Blanks: Right on. How long have you had Apollo and Chupacabra?

Colin Bokhoven: Apollo for 11 years.

Dave Blanks: Whoa.

Colin Bokhoven: And the other one for two and a half.

Dave Blanks: So which one's your... I can't really make you choose favorites.

Colin Bokhoven: Oh no, I have a favorite.

Dave Blanks: Oh, Apollo's clearly your favorite.

Colin Bokhoven: Yeah, the other one's a little mean.

Dave Blanks: Okay. Well, you know, maybe he'll mellow out when he gets older.

Colin Bokhoven: Hopefully.

Dave Blanks: Well good luck making Chupacabra chill out. Oh Hey. And here's the second part. Finish this sentence. Love is...

Colin Bokhoven: The death of me.

Dave Blanks: "Our song is a slamming screen door...

Cyndal Guffy: I'm [inaudible 00:04:17]. I'd have to say science. I like learning about planets and everything, and about animals and everything when I was younger. And as that sort of... I've gained more knowledge in that subject. It's just expanded how much there is to love about it.

Dave Blanks: Do you want to give a shout out to somebody from your childhood that maybe supported you in loving the planets and learning about animals?

Cyndal Guffy: Probably my mom. Just because... I know that's probably a generic answer, but...

Dave Blanks: No, it was a great answer. Yeah. Not every mom is super supportive of that. So your mom was.

Cyndal Guffy: Yeah, she always said that if you have something you want to reach for, always reach for it.

Dave Blanks: I love that. Okay. Now finish this sentence, and then we'll be done and you can go on about your life. So can you tell me, finish this sentence. Love is...

Cyndal Guffy: What you make of it. It's your actions. It's who you think about at the end of the day, or whenever you find something cool online that you want to share it with. It's small acts, and it's big things, too.

Adam Zebzda: I'm Adam Zebzda.

Adam Zebzda: I love procrastinating, back then and still today.

Dave Blanks: What about procrastination do you love? Because it stresses me out when I do it, although I do it like I love it.

Adam Zebzda: The adrenaline is worth the risk.

Dave Blanks: Ah. You feed off the adrenaline.

Adam Zebzda: I feed off the adrenaline.

Dave Blanks: Do you feel like you're better because you're freaking out about it?

Adam Zebzda: Who doesn't love a silent panic attack?

Dave Blanks: I'm having one right now.

Adam Zebzda: Exactly. Exactly.

Dave Blanks: Can you finish this sentence? Love...

Adam Zebzda: Fake.

Victoria O'Conner: I'm Victoria O'Connor. I love horses.

Dave Blanks: What was the first horse that you loved?

Victoria O'Conner: This horse named Lady.

Dave Blanks: What was so great about Lady?

Victoria O'Conner: She was the first horse I ever road.

Dave Blanks: That was it? That was all she had to do was show up and be the only horse there, and you're like, "I love you Lady."?

Victoria O'Conner: Yes.

Dave Blanks: Is there...

Victoria O'Conner: I had low expectations when I was a kid.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, well, you hadn't had any other experiences. This is the first horse you ever were riding. Okay, cool. So, here's the second part of the question. Finish this sentence. Love is...

Victoria O'Conner: Kind.

Dave Blanks: Oh, that's good.

Jorma: My name is Jorma.

Dave Blanks: And Yourma, who is this here?

Jorma: This is my girlfriend Molly.

Dave Blanks: Hi Molly.

Molly: Hi.

Dave Blanks: So Valentine's is coming up and it's all about love, right? Lovey-dovey.

Jorma: Supposedly.

Dave Blanks: You are holding hands, having a good time.

Jorma: I didn't say I didn't love her, I just said Valentine's Day might not be...

Dave Blanks: No, no. She's great. Feelings... So, Jorma, your feelings about Valentine's.

Jorma: More of a corporate holiday than anything else.

Dave Blanks: Gotcha.

Jorma: But the girls like it.

Dave Blanks: Molly?

Molly: I just want him to buy me flowers.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, perfect. Easy. You got this. All right.

Jorma: Well, fair enough.

Dave Blanks: So here's the question. Jorma...

Jorma: Yes.

Dave Blanks: Can you name something that you loved when you were younger that you still love to this day?

Jorma: I love star Wars. Greatest thing ever.

Dave Blanks: Right. Awesome. Molly?

Molly: I love the Beatles.

Dave Blanks: Yeah, Star Wars and the Beatles? All right, that's awesome. All right, finish this sentence. Love...

Molly: Nice.

Dave Blanks: It is nice! Jorma, you finish it. Love is...

Jorma: Work.

Dave Blanks: Love is work.

Molly: Thanks.

Jorma: But worth it, but worth it. Get that in there, but worth it.

Dave Blanks: Work that's worth it. All right. All right. Excellent. Hey, y'all have a fantastic Valentine's day.

Molly: Thank you.

Dave Blanks: Thanks for your answers.

Lauren: My name is Lauren.

Dave Blanks: Something you loved when you were younger that you still love now. Go.

Lauren: Cartoons.

Dave Blanks: Okay. What's your favorite cartoon?

Lauren: Scooby Doo.

Dave Blanks: What monster do you think is the coolest monster?

Lauren: Oh, you can't choose that.

Dave Blanks: I'm putting you on the spot. There are so many monsters.

Angel Martinez: Angel Martinez. I love cartoons.

Dave Blanks: What cartoon do you love the most?

Angel Martinez: Any of them.

Dave Blanks: Scooby Doo. Your feelings about Scooby doo?

Angel Martinez: Scooby Doo? I used to be big in Scooby Doo.

Dave Blanks: That was what the last girl said. I was really hoping you'd be like, "Yeah, Scooby Doo is my favorite." And that'd be like "Go get her!" All right. That was a great answer. Okay. Can you finish this sentence and then I'll totally leave you alone? Love is...

Angel Martinez: I have no idea.

Dave Blanks: Star Wars, the Beatles, cartoons and cartoons.

Jack Lusk: I'm Jack Lusk. I love discovering things. Finding out new things and going new places.

Dave Blanks: Where do you think you got this need to discover and explore?

Jack Lusk: I had some woods behind my house, some really tall trees. So, climbing trees, going in the woods, thinking I found something cool even though it might've been like a broken bottle or something like that.

Dave Blanks: Do you feel like you've still retained this fascination with mystery like that?

Jack Lusk: Yeah. I find I'm finding something new every day or learning something new everyday, it kind of takes away from mediocrity of doing the same thing.

Dave Blanks: Are you studying to be a treasure hunter here at Appalachian State?

Jack Lusk: Dude, I wish. But no, I'm astrophysics.

Dave Blanks: Oh.

Jack Lusk: So I feel like I can definitely find some new stuff out in space.

Dave Blanks: Yeah. You can make some serious discoveries. All right. Finish this sentence. Love is...

Jack Lusk: A treasure.

Dave Blanks: Oh, Yeah. Love is a treasure. That's nice, that's a really nice.

Kevion Chunn: I'm Kevion Chunn. I love McDonald's chicken nuggets.

Dave Blanks: Do you remember when you first fell in love with McDonald's chicken nuggets?

Kevion Chunn: Yes.

Dave Blanks: When was it?

Kevion Chunn: I was five.

Dave Blanks: What happened?

Kevion Chunn: I had honey mustard.

Dave Blanks: Ooh. That's good stuff. All right. You still sticking with the same dipping sauce, too?

Kevion Chunn: No, now I go for the McDonald's sauce.

Dave Blanks: Everybody has their own specialty sauce now.

Kevion Chunn: Yeah, it's all the same, though. Cook Out has the same one as like Chick-fil-A. And Chick-Fil-A had the same one as Zaxby's. It's all the same.

Dave Blanks: Bo Jangles has one that's kind of slightly different, I feel like. Finish this sentence. Love is...

Kevion Chunn: Complicated.

Dave Blanks: Thank you for your answers.

Kevion Chunn: Sorry?

Dave Blanks: Have a good Valentine's. No, it's good. I appreciate you. Thank you.

Kevion Chunn: No problem.

Riley Caldwell: I'm Riley Caldwell. I love books. The first book that I really cried over was The Book Thief. And, it's really good.

Dave Blanks: Yeah?

Riley Caldwell: It's really sad, but it's really good.

Dave Blanks: All right. What about a book recommendation in reference to Valentine's Day?

Riley Caldwell: If you're alone for Valentine's Day...

Dave Blanks: Right.

Riley Caldwell: You're A Badass is a really good book.

Dave Blanks: Okay.

Riley Caldwell: It's good for self-confidence. So, if you are thinking really negatively about what's going on in your life right now, you just need to keep focusing and keep working on getting towards your goals, because you'll get there eventually.

Dave Blanks: Awesome.

Riley Caldwell: A lot of manifestation kind of stuff.

Dave Blanks: Awesome. Cool. Riley, can you finish this sentence for me, and then I'll let you go?

Riley Caldwell: Okay.

Dave Blanks: Love is...

Riley Caldwell: Special. Love is special.

Dave Blanks: Thank you Riley.

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: I'm Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis.

Dave Blanks: All right, Kaleb. So, it's almost Valentine's. Did you know that?

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: I did.

Dave Blanks: All right. How do you feel about Valentine's? Are you pro-Valentine's, anti-Valentines, or neutral?

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: I love it.

Dave Blanks: What do you love about it?

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: Falling in love and seeing people in love. But unfortunately, I'm a single guy.

Dave Blanks: Oh no, Kaleb.

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: So, if anybody's listening to this who needs a boyfriend, you have my name.

Dave Blanks: How would they contact you?

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: Yeah, you can get my Instagram. It's a Laleb_and_Loki. L-O-K-I.

Dave Blanks: You will certainly find someone, I'm sure. So, Kaleb, here's the question. Name something you loved when you were younger that you still love to this very day.

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: I love video games.

Dave Blanks: What was your first video game that was like, "This one I love"?

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: I think, Legend of Zelda. Majora's Mask.

Dave Blanks: What about Majora's Mask did you love so much?

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: That's a good story. You know that was back when you couldn't Google everything in video games. You had to figure it out for yourself.

Dave Blanks: It was a different time, right? A simpler time.

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: It was.

Dave Blanks: Finish this sentence and I'll let you go. It looks like your cold. Love is...

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: Great.

Dave Blanks: Thanks Kaleb.

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: Yeah, thank you.

Dave Blanks: You did great. Yeah, appreciate it.

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: Thank you.

Dave Blanks: So the podcast is called Dave By The Bell. It's on iTunes and Spotify.

Kaleb Geisler-Zukaitis: Dave By The Bell. When will you put this on?

Dave Blanks: Soon. All right? Have a good day. Kaleb. You're in there, okay, don't worry about it. God, Kaleb.

Dave Blanks: A lot of positive love vibes going on here for Valentine's day. Some people spending Valentine's a with the one they love. Some people spending it alone. But just remember, on Valentine's day you are a bad ass. Hey students, thank you for talking to me. I appreciate you bearing your heart and sharing what you love. Happy Valentine's, everyone out there. I'm Dave Blanks, and this has been Dave By The Bell.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.