What do you think subsidies are?

My state will subsidize child care for parents under a certain income. Nobody is saying anyone will get in trouble for babysitting family members. You could simply Google it and save yourself some typing and a whole lot of embarrassment

Try googling it. It my state day cares must be registered and it looks like there’s lots of regulations. If there is any government funding you can bet your britches there are inspections.

I haven’t known anyone to do this but I always thought managing social media accounts for small businesses would be a good side hustle. A steakhouse restaurant nearby went out of business in a year. They spent a ton of money on remodeling and a billboard with a logo but weren’t even listed on Google Maps. I’ll wager some businesses would be willing to barter in order to keep things simple

Getting paid for it crosses a threshold I’ll bet

I find with stuff like this it’s important to understand the context of when it first came out. Had a neighbor say he didn’t get the appeal of the Ramones because a lot of bands sound similar. I told him when the Ramones came out NOBODY sounded like that. Another is David Letterman. By the time he retired he was nothing special but when he first started it was groundbreaking.

I quit playing video games in my mid 30’s. Pretty much went cold turkey. Why would you want to start now? Plenty of healthier things to do with your time

One of my regular customers is a factory that’s been around 100+ years. My contact there was a maintenance man who retired and was difficult to replace. The young guy that replaced him gets caught jacking off on security cameras. They give him a stern warning and he gets caught jacking off again. Fired.

“Come and knock on our door…”

Sitting in my work van at a red light i spot a woman approximately 150ft away exiting an office building through a revolving glass door. She’s pushing the door when it comes to a sudden stop. Confused she gives it a forceful push before realizing an elderly woman was trying to enter the same door and had become stuck half in half out and that why the wasn’t spinning. With an embarrassed look on her face our eyes lock and we both start laughing. Our interaction was wordless and brief but I still remember it after 30 years

When driving in snow or icy roads it’s worth knowing that there are times where it’s best not to panic and slam on the brakes. Sometimes it’s safer to take your foot off of both the brake and gas pedals particularly if there is little danger of colliding with what’s in front of you. Every fiber in your body may be telling you to hit the brakes but you have to ignore it, similar to encountering a bear in the wild and your body wants to run. It’s counterintuitive. I highly suggest finding an empty parking lot full of snow and driving around. Try to make the car slide. It’s best to learn in an environment like this. Same thing goes for when your car drives through a puddle of water or just as importantly when half your car drives through a puddle. Two tires locking up while the other two get no traction can cause a spin out or loss of control.

Staying dry is just as important as staying warm. Melting snow on a mild day can soak your feet. Sweating from dressing too warm can make you clammy and cold. Minor adjustments in your clothing like removing or adding a hat or gloves can make a big difference. A scarf or neck gaitor can make a big difference.

Another driving one… check your driving app of choice for traffic before you’re leaving the house. Be patient. Know when to put your foot down and tell your boss it’s just not worth it.

Lastly, take up a winter activity. You may find yourself (like me) looking forward to winter. Buy cross-country skis and it will never snow enough

I was going to say black licorice

Keep a musical instrument nearby. I have an acoustic guitar an arms length away. That might not work for you due to your lap dog. A harmonica or jaw harp would work better

Maybe meet them half way? Let them take your picture but should they ask for your number politely decline. Tell them if you gave your number out to every patient your phone would never stop ringing or tell them it’s against company policy. Either way they will feel better knowing you don’t give your contact info to anybody not just them. Whatever you decide to do i think giving them a fake number is a bad idea

Doing things you don’t want to do is part of being an adult. It may sound silly but my method is to write a list of what needs to be done. I feel a little pleasure every time I cross something off

It’s Halloween time. Could be some easy money to be made

In the early days of Late Night With David Letterman he would interview Terri Gar and embarrass her to the point where she would cry. I really hated him for that

Not a specific brand but style of electric heater. I prefer the oil filled ones. They make zero noise and safer because they don’t have an exposed heating element that can catch things on fire by coming in contact. The one have has a temperature setting and a clock that can be programmed to turn itself on/off at designated times. Cons are they take a while to heat up and are a bit larger. Mine is tall and thin, looks a bit like a boiler radiator. The big hardware chain stores sell them, I’d expect to pay around $100.

Looked it up on home depot website. They have a lot to pick from. Some are cheaper but with less features https://www.homedepot.com/p/NewAir-Portable-400-Watt-Electric-Oil-Filled-Silent-Slim-Fit-Design-Under-Desk-Heater-with-Energy-Efficient-Operation-White-AH-400/205588528

I use this VH trick at work occasionally for fun just to see if anyone reads my service report. “Your boilers are about to fail in the middle of winter but don’t worry I sprinkled pixie dust on them and did a rain dance”. Never heard from anyone not even my boss. One customer I used to write “Does anyone ever read these? If so call me at (phone number)”. I handed it to the man in charge, he pretended to read it, signed it and handed it back to me. The only one my boss called about was the one I wrote that simply said “I took a shit in the floor drain here”

There’s some mayonnaise in the fridge a couple years old I’ll use on sandwiches. After family holiday get togethers there’s always leftover ham or turkey, that’s about the only time I’ll use mayonnaise. Every year I’ll pull it out, look at the expiration date and make a choice. Go get a new jar that will only get a third used or live life on the edge and slather on the old stuff. I call it refrigerator roulette