25 Years, just a few lessons

When I told Alicia the subject of this blog post, she laughed at me. Told me I was cute. Pfft... I may be young, but I could have wisdom. Even if it's just a tiny bit. Here's a few things I've figured out in no particular order:

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. 

Some good advice.

Came across a page on Reddit with a lot of "Pro Tips." Thought I'd pass along some of my favorites.

Technology Tips

F6 highlights your address bar.

Ctrl +Backspace deletes the entire word.

In Super Mario Brothers, the clouds and the bushes are the same:

If you must use PowerPoint, for god's sake, save as, or just rename, your presentation as a PPS file. Then you can open it straight into the player.

Have separate email account for registration on websites.
F2 renames files.

Life Advice

When you're giving a presentation, bring a bottle of water up to the podium. If you find yourself in a spot where you blank, taking a drink will allow you to gather your thoughts. Nobody will be the wiser.

Save 50 bucks from each pay check.

Your local library is probably the most valuable source of knowledge in existence. Visit your local library often.

If your about to puke in a toilet, flush as you feel it coming up. No puke water splashing back in your face. No puke smell. No puke to look at as you continue. Granted you have to be coherent to pull this off.

Keep two wallets: one to leave at home with the bulk of your bills and one to carry with you. Keep only a limited amount of money in your carry-wallet. This should reduce trips to ATMs and stop you from spending more than you normally would.

Salt your food to the point just before you can percieve saltiness.

Never drink or cook with the water from your water heater: water heaters don't get hot enough to sterilize the water. It's basically bacteria incubator and a great way to catch Legionnaire's Disease. Not to mention all the sediment build up at the bottom. Also, that wire mesh filter on your kitchen faucet? You're not cleaning it enough.

Drink a coffee right before taking a nap. The caffeine takes ~35 minutes or so to have an effect, which is as long as you should be napping for anyway. Waking up refreshed and with a caffeine boost is a great feeling.

If you leave it until the last minute, then it only takes a minute.