1. Don't go cheap, especially with umbrellas. In Minnesota, umbrellas are kinda a novelty. After all, how much rain can you really get on yourself between a building and your car? Here in New York, if it rains, you get soaked without an umbrella.
Resist the urge to purchase one of those $3 umbrellas sold on the street. They are always black, and look like this:
Photo stolen from www.dalesorenson.net
It's rare that many cheap purchases actually add up to an expensive purchase, but these $3 umbrellas will do it twice over. They last approximately one rain storm, and a decent umbrella maxes out around $20. What the $3 doesn't account for is the rain you'll get on you because of it's size, and the rain you'll get on yourself when it inevitably breaks and you are stuck without any protection.
Don't go cheap on umbrellas... this lesson probably applies to many other things in life, but I'm too young and cheap to have found that out yet.
2. If you want to enjoy something, don't start cheap. This is how I've learned to enjoy coffee, beer, scotch, cigars and vegetables. This tip is different from the first one, because there's nothing wrong with going cheap, especially on coffee. But you won't enjoy these things if you don't know what's good about them. If you've had the best of something, cheaper versions will remind you of that goodness. If you start cheap, there'll be nothing to really enjoy.
3. Do some research before an interview. I got my job at City of Duluth because I had looked at their website before hand and brought it up. It really impressed them. I recently interviewed to be a bartender at a local bar. I don't know if I've got the job, but the exact same thing happened... I looked into the bar and brought that up during the interview. They loved me for it, at least that's how it seems.
4. Flattery makes things better. I've gotten a lot of free things in this city by being nice. Now, I haven't tried being fake, and I haven't tried pushing for free. But I've certainly had very pleasant discussions talking to people who are helping me and these almost universally start with me complimenting.
Example: I was going to Katz Deli to pick up some pastrami sandwiches to bring home for Alicia and I. I complimented the Katz guy and talked to him about his job. He asked about mine, and it was generally pleasant. He was a nice guy. If you've never been to Katz, you are given a ticket at the door. Every food server writes your charges on this ticket and you pay on your way out. This guy saw that I had already picked up french fries and told me they were on the house. He crossed out the total and just charged me for the sandwiches.
Photo of Katz from commons.wikimedia.org
Do I think the Katz Deli sandwich carvers are the best on the planet? Maybe yes, maybe no. But it doesn't hurt to tell them that they do a fantastic job.
5. Scoop the catbox and sweep every day. This one might be more specific than the others, but I do this while the coffee is brewing. It really makes a big difference.
Well, that's about all I can think of right now. Sorry these weren't grand sweeping lessons, like "Live life to the fullest!" These are just things I wish I would have known earlier.
Well, that's about all I can think of right now. Sorry these weren't grand sweeping lessons, like "Live life to the fullest!" These are just things I wish I would have known earlier.
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