[Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation

Do that thing you want to do but keep pushing ahead because you don't know if you'll be able to do it in the future.

Speaking from experience. Illness is a bummer.

1. Read your employee handbook. It's boring but let me tell you a story why.

Our handbook stated in bad weather we could use a personal day. No questions asked.

Our team required 24/7 coverage.

I called my boss, asked him if I could work from home due to the bad weather. He said no. I then stated I will be taking a personal day then. He said that I could work from home then. I didn't have to risk my life or vehicle getting into work.

2. Be aware of maintaining your mental health. You can't get it back. I wish I did things differently years ago. Now I'm a walking ball of crippling nonsensical anxiety issues.

If you are plunging a sink, make sure you either use duct tape to cover over the overflow hole, or you plug it with a wet rag.

In the case of a double sink, make sure the other side is plugged.

Otherwise all you're doing is pushing air back and forth through this overflow/2nd drain, and you're not actually forcing the clog out.

When you need to melt cold butter in a pan, don't break out the knife or try to chip off a shard, just put it face down on the pan and let the appropriate amount melt.

This requires that you keep a small ring of the foil on the base (for convenience and clean hands) but it's easy to do that once you get into the habit.

Read the entire error message, then look it up, before asking for help.

Letterkenny taught me that girls who tuck their phone into their bras cannot be knocked down, but girls who take their shoes off on the dance floor will try.

Why buy washcloths just cut up a towel

Always keep a handkerchief on you

Don't forget to bring a towel.

Mine is don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from

If you have to force it, you're going to break it.

A powder-type extinguisher should be turned on its head maybe once a year, just to make sure its contents don't separate and gets stuck to the bottom. Sloshing its contents makes sure it stays mixed and healthy.

If you don't absolutely need to drive somewhere, don't.

Maybe it's because I don't drive, but I never understood why people need to get into their vehicles to go to a store that's only a block away. I just think more is attained out of strolling to do small errands as a pedestrian, which is good for your body/mind/social life, than to get there by vehicle which just contributes more to the commotion on the road and in the atmosphere.

By Nigel Swanston & Tim Cox

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99 Wear sunscreen If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it A long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mind You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth Until they've faded, but trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back At photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now How much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked You are not as fat as you imagine Don't worry about the future Or worry, but know that worrying Is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing Bubble gum The real troubles in your life Are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday Do one thing every day that scares you Saying, don't be reckless with other people's hearts Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours Floss Don't waste your time on jealousy Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults If you succeed in doing this, tell me how Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements Stretch Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life The most interesting people I know Didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't Get plenty of calcium Be kind to your knees You'll miss them when they're gone Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the 'Funky Chicken' On your 75th wedding anniversary Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much Or berate yourself either Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's Enjoy your body, use it every way you can Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living room Read the directions even if you don't follow them Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good Be nice to your siblings, they're your best link to your past And the people most likely to stick with you in the future Understand that friends come and go But a precious few, who should hold on Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle For as the older you get The more you need the people you knew when you were young Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard Live in northern California once but leave before it makes you soft Travel Accept certain inalienable truths Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too, will get old And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young Prices were reasonable, politicians were noble And children respected their elders Respect your elders Don't expect anyone else to support you Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse But you never know when either one might run out Don't mess too much with your hair Or by the time you're 40 it will look 85 Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts And recycling it for more than it's worth But trust me on the sunscreen

Have wet wipes on hand.

Don't put bananas on top of you other fruit. Bananas give off a lot of ethylene gas during their ripening process which quickens the ripening process of other fruits. So seperating your bananas helps to keep your fruit fresh for longer.

Wear hearing protection. Often. I work and talk to a lot of handyman type people and almost all of them have somewhat poor hearing. Even some close to my age (20's). The one thing in common? No hearing protection.

Even though hand tool woodwork is much quieter I still always wear earplugs. Even when running the vacuum I wear hearing protection. I also take it easy with the music, with a great pair of headphones you don't need to crank it up.

Also wear respirators often when dealing with almost any particulate. If you are working on something that produces a lot of dust, you probably want to wear a respirator. Doesn't matter if it's natural, even wood dust can mess you up. Especially during grinding or sanding.

A lot of shitty people will give you flak, but NEVER let people dictate your safety, specifically when they tell you to use less.