Yeah, that’s a pretty decent approach. I’m on the top floor and concerned about sound carrying downward. So, I try to moderate music and TV volume in general, and most of the time the ‘bass boost’ is low or off. 

Maybe have a pre-emptive conversation? Introduce yourself, explain about your toddler, say “Kids are bound to do this” but ask them to let you know if it ever gets too bothersome for them.

For example, I wouldn’t talk to an upstairs neighbour about basic kiddy noises, those come with the territory. But, I might make an…

What do you do when your noisy neighbour is also the building manager? ;)

This isn’t a problem (any more), but my manager lives directly below us and he was working on fixing up his apartment a couple of months back. He tends to get hyper-focused, very driven, and loses track of time. Mostly it wasn’t an issue, but for …

I just discovered a cache of old pennies (one-cent coins) that are no longer legal tender here in Canada. The nickel is the new penny!

I’m Canadian so the concept of being out of maple syrup is deeply foreign to me o_0

But if you look back and the passenger appears to be a starting center for the New York Knicks, take your finger off of that recline button.

I’m not sure if this is still a thing at ISKCON (“Hare Krishna”) temples, but years ago a friend once took me to the Toronto temple for a free meal. There is of course some worship etc. to go with the meal — it was partially to attract new followers, after all — but we weren’t heavily proselytized. It would certainly…

The funeral home will clothe the body prior to shipping. Sometimes there can be “leakage” during the flight, so it helps if the clothing you provide is washable so that the funeral home on the other end can take care of things with a minimum of distress to the family.

And for those of us who don’t have a grill? (No microwave either, I’m afraid.)

How can a dress shirt (with collar, cuffs etc.) be rolled without creating wrinkles? I’m cool with T-shirts etc. having a spot of wrinklage, but having it in fussier clothing Bothers me.

I never thought I would see the day when the horror and anguish of Sophie’s choice would be deliberately inflicted by American authorities, drunk with power and cruelty, on desperate asylum seekers and their little ones.

Timidity around fixing stuff truly knows no gender. I remember living in a shared house with 3 male housemates, and being the one to finally get out the toolbox and address the fridge door handle that was almost falling off. And I wasn’t (and still am not) remotely “handy”, but some things are at least worth trying to…

The last few years of my elderly dad’s life, he started watching Fox News. This was the source of his sudden skepticism about climate change.

When you live in a lively household, pure solitude is rare bliss. Obviously it would bother you to play hooky sneakily, so could you simply book one of those days as vacation with your boss, and be up front with your wife about your choice to take that as a solo vacation day? It sounds like you really need it!

Good for you for setting these limits! Once you’re perceived as a mainstay volunteer, it can be quite difficult to disengage. And of course half the problem is your own secret conviction that you ought to do everything you’re asked to.

I remember once talking with my late meditation teacher. My mind was buzzing and frantic with worry at the time. Suddenly she (gently) clamped her foot on top of my own, and asked, “Do you feel the top of your foot more, or the bottom of it?” Thinking about that calmed me down in an instant.

Amazon.ca: “1 new from CDN$ 175.95"

Amazon.ca: “1 new from CDN$ 175.95"

Or (in a pinch) give your e-mail as name+krispykreme@domain.com so that you can filter the crap out of any junk mail they send you.

Something very like this happened to my former next door neighbour. She won close to $3 in a government lottery. Her intention had been to keep working while she figured out what to do, but news got around and some of her coworkers became resentful of her good fortune, snarking at her for working when she didn’t have…

Thank you for your persistence and for sharing your experience — that’s really encouraging to me. I have never had access to a car I could practice on (my single mom would never let me near the family car because she couldn’t afford an increase in insurance rates), so I never learned to drive. Sounds like it’s time to…