I don’t know what kind of schedule you have, but if you’re able to, get a job on the hill, even if it’s one day a week. I used to work part time every season, and I got a free seasons pass. I can’t remember about rentals but I had my own board. I got to know all of the rentals people so I got to take out some skis every now and then for free if they weren’t busy.

If instructors have lessons scheduled but they haven’t been filled, sometimes you can hop in for free or at a discounted rate.

For all beginners, I highly highly recommend to take a few lessons first because A) you pick up bad habits from friends, and B) first and foremost, you need to be confident with your stopping, not following your friends down double blacks. You’ll end up hating yourself and giving up on the sport.

If working is not possible, then you could look at volunteering. My mountain would give one free daypass every shift you worked, so you could very easily volunteer in the morning and hit the slopes in the afternoon or another day.

Re: driving… Snow tires. Get some good ones, and practice driving in snow until you’re comfortable before going up a mountain. I also used to drive long distances over mountain passes and have seen some bad things.

I do remember using a pedal, and I don’t remember it being too hard. I do recall, however, one of the troublemakers in class would put the pedal to the metal and the teacher would give him an earful.

What are some of the things that you’ve sewn? I need a little inspiration, maybe it’s time I pick it up as a hobby and not just for school.

Play guitar, or sew. Guitar because I play woodwinds, so when I’m sick, I’m pretty useless. At least with a guitar, I can cough my lungs out and still somewhat play guitar if I’m not heaving for air. Or someone else can sing for me.

Sewing because then I wouldn’t have to resort to a single needle and thread and have no idea what I’m doing when patching something up. If I could remember how to use a sewing machine from home economics class in highschool, then I could start a little hobby business on the side, and I wouldn’t have to give up my favourite pair of jeans. :(

Now that I think about it, origami for me, too. Sometimes, I’ll have a cough candy and then I’m left with a wrapper. I stick it in my pocket when there’s no bin nearby, and it always somehow ends up as a crane, turtle, or fortune teller.

Personally, I keep it until it’s got mould. The days recommended really depends on how many times the fridge is opened and how long the fridge is opened for.

Example: I’ve had a opened tub of hummus in my fridge for 2 months and it’s still been fine. I also eat yogurt way past its best before date, so. Shrug None of it would last a week in a share house.

Depends on the food item, but for tomato/pizza sauce, it’ll be the mould if you haven’t cross contaminated the sauce with something else (ie scoop out sauce with spoon, touch spoon to pizza dough, scoop more sauce with same spoon; or wiping finger along rim, licking off finger, and repeat).

I told my boss about the team leader who was bullying others, bullying the business owners, and making extremely sexist and racist remarks to everyone “lower” than him, and then I became thd problem. 🙄 Management are the ones that preach “We’re a family” until money or their ego is involved, and suddenly, they’re crying and out for blood.

You did what was right. Be proud to have the morals and respect for you and others that they will never have.

It’s why I ended up quitting that job. I couldn’t get ahead because documenting everything took up so much of my time. In the end, the entire chain up to CEO still sided with my shite in the rain of a manager because she sucked enough under the table 🙄

Stock Android on Samsung S23 because it was $400 at the time (JB-Hi-Fi had a steal of a deal), and current phone at the time was dead, so I needed something. Otherwise, I’m not sure where I would have gone, but definitely not Apple. All of my workplaces use iPhones and I hate it.

Now, picture the same people in restaurants preparing your food. It’s exactly the same thing 💀

Ah yeah, well, it was about 8 months ago when she said it to me, and somehow she’s gotten away with it because my department knows what it’s doing at all times. She’s being investigated and has decided this is the time to retire. Good riddance, absolute piece of shite.

That’s flat out nepotism, and an impending disaster. Good call on getting out sooner rather than later. The pay 100% was not worth the risk.

That’s a great question and there are so many good answers in this thread.

Don’t expect your superiors to ever back you up. I got burned so many times. I knew I was right, but they didn’t have a backbone and only thought about the budget, their reremovedtion, and the work they’d have to put in for damage control. I wanted to shut restaurants for their filthiness, but “Oh noes, what will the community think”. Well, if someone dies, then it’s on your head. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.

Even if a conversation or direction was made verbally, always follow up with an email to say “Just to confirm our conversation today, you have directed me to…” Even if it’s about holidays. My old boss was such a prick. Him and all upper management are the reason I am suspicious of everyone and everything.

99% of people don’t wash their hands properly.

My manager has been the manager of my department for over 7 years and admitted to my face that she has no idea what we do. 💀… And then did not make any effort in the last 8 months to learn what I do.

Seeing people put their rubbish and recycling in the right bins, or parents telling/praising their young ones for putting their stuff in the correct bins.

Getting the fuel pump right on the number I wanted to the cent.

Bee bums and their big pollen pants.

Making eye contact with dogs and they start wagging their tail.

“She’s really shy around strangers,” and then the cat comes up to give my hand a lick and a head butt.

The perfect marshmallow stick.

Finding shelter steps before the start of a downpour.

Pssssht. Crack. Sip. Ahhhhh… (The sound of opening a can.)

They’re amazing. They only have one album out at the moment, but I am so keen for their next.

If you like them, then Kingfishr might be another one to look in to. Also saw them in concert last week. They are less refined, but I put it down to them being so young and more rock.

Have a listen to Killeagh.

Of Land and Sea by Amble. Saw them in concert the other week, and it makes me love them even more.

Just some chill, West Coasty vibes. They have some good lyrics.

Edit: Messed up the link formatting thing…

Less consumerism, more mindfulness.

Being able to get paid for something you truly enjoy doing so it doesn’t feel like work at all, and actually be able to live on the pay you receive.

And like a lot of others have mentioned, empathy and kindness.

Yes and yes. I’m a health inspector.

Would absolutely not do it for free. There’s a lot more that I do than just inspecting restaurants and beauty premises:

• inspection accommodations (hotels, motels, rooming houses, student forms, hostels, camps)

• respond to environmental complaints (dumping, pollution of storm water, failing septics, installation of septics)

• residential complaints (the worst!! People don’t want to talk to each other and problem solve like adults so they threaten each other by dragging me in to sort their shit out for them. If they don’t get the result they want, it’s my fault 🙄)

• emergency response (we suddenly had importance when covid came around, but the nation still wouldn’t acknowledge us as important because we’re not in the “response” side like nurses and doctors. We’re prevention, and nobody cares about us; bushfires, floods, air quality)

• mosquito detection (for diseases they carry and treat the areas that we find have carrier mozzies for diseases like Japanese encephalitis, Ross River, etc.)

• pest control, hoarding, land use, subdivisions, swimming pools, drinking water quality, disposal of dead carcasses, cemeteries, exhumation, outbreaks like gastro, too many things to list. We’re pretty much involved in everything that affects human health.

But we’re underpaid, underappreciated, perpetually short staffed and quickly burning out, and mostly unknown to those who don’t run businesses that require council registration by law.

Yup. All winter, we have been whinging about single and teen digits and wanting summer to come around. Then we get blasted with 44C. We weren’t careful what we wished for… But on the positive side, the rest of the summer will be a breeze. 😎

I know. Yesterday we felt a drop of over 10C in an hour. I swear this will be the end of me. 😂💀