u/ponderingpixi17

My 1915 American Foursquare has this one light switch in the dining room that I’ve tested every way I can think of. It doesn’t control any outlet, any light fixture, the porch, the basement stairs, or even a long-dead attic fan. I’ve flipped it while standing in every room of the house with no luck. My working theory is it once controlled a gas lamp sconce that was removed decades ago, or maybe an original bell system for servants. Either way, I’ve just left it as-is and call it our “ghost switch.” It adds character, I guess. My neighbor down the street has a similar toggle in her hallway that she switches on and off every morning out of habit, even though she’s never found what it does. I’ve also heard stories of old switches that secretly controlled exterior carriage lights or basement workbench outlets that got drywalled over. So tell me I’m not alone here.

What’s your mystery switch situation?
Have you ever actually solved one and found out what it was for?
And if you did, was it satisfying or totally anticlimactic?

We've owned our 1912 house for a few years now and every time we open up a wall for a repair or renovation, we find something unexpected. So far we've found old newspapers from the 1940s, a child's leather shoe, some very questionable wiring that someone patched together, and a tin can full of rusty nails that looked like it had been there since the house was built. The strangest one was a handwritten note tucked behind a bathroom medicine cabinet. The handwriting was elegant but the message was just a single word that I still can't make sense of. No date, no name, nothing else. I've always wondered who put it there and why. I know century homes are full of these little time capsules.

What's the most unusual or interesting thing you've discovered in your walls, under your floorboards, or in your attic?

I'm not talking about valuable items necessarily, just things that made you stop and wonder about the people who lived there before you. Bonus points if you actually figured out the story behind it. Sometimes I think the small forgotten things tell a better story than the fancy architectural details everyone notices first.

I have stared at this excel sheet for so long the numbers are literally blurring together. buying an existing small landscaping business and the current financials are solid, but trying to project exactly how many W2s i'm gonna hire in year 4 feels ridiculous. like how am I supposed to know?

Im doing the business plan myself to save money because the quotes I got from those professional plan writers were absolutely insane. but honestly after reading a breakdown from chary law about the marginality requirement, Im starting to panic that my payroll growth is way too flat. if the business already makes enough to support my family right now, forcing a chart to show massive expansion just feels unnatural for this specific local industry.

i just want to run the crew without needing a degree in corporate finance. anyone else just completely guessing their year 4 and 5 overhead costs? the stress of one wrong spreadsheet cell tanking the whole visa is just exhausting at this point.

I had to go downtown for a concert last weekend and decided to try parking at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station instead of driving all the way in. I got there around 11am on a Saturday and the lots were almost completely full. Ended up circling for 20 minutes before finding a spot way in the back.

Is this normal now? I remember a couple years ago you could show up anytime on the weekend and find parking easily. But with all the condos going up and more people using the subway, it feels like things have changed pretty fast.

Does anyone know if they're planning to add more parking spaces or is the city just expecting people to walk or take buses to the station instead? I saw some construction fences up near one of the lots but couldn't tell if that was for more parking or more condos.

Also is there a better time to show up if you want a guaranteed spot without the stress? Or should I just start driving to a different station like Highway 407? Would love to hear what other commuters are doing these days.

Early on as a trainer I was TERRIFIED of sounding pushy. I didn’t want clients feeling like I was “checking up on them”, trying to pressure them, acting needy or constantly selling something

So if someone missed sessions or got inconsistent, I’d usually back off and “give them space.” And honestly? A lot of those clients quietly disappeared

But I think most clients don’t interpret silence the same way coaches do. To me, silence felt respectful. To a lot of clients, silence felt like “my coach probably forgot about me”, “I already fell off”, “it’s awkward to come back now”

So I started doing way simpler follow-ups. Nothing aggressive. Usually just: “Hey, how’s your week going?” or “Still alive? 😂” or “Want to get back on track next week?”

And clients responded WAY better to casual/direct communication than I expected. I even started experimenting with simple sms reminders/check-ins because texts felt more human and less “formal business communication” than email. And weirdly people opened up more.

Not saying this is universally true obviously. Some clients probably hate extra communication and want maximum space.

But in my experience, disappearing completely has been way more damaging than occasionally reaching out like a normal human.

Curious how other coaches handle this.

I'm planning my first trip to Florida and I keep getting conflicting advice. Some people say go in winter for nice weather, but then I hear about spring break crowds and expensive flights. Others recommend summer, but I'm worried about the heat and humidity being unbearable. I'd love to see a mix of nature (maybe the Everglades) and some beach time, but I'm not big on theme parks. I'm trying to avoid peak tourist season and also not melt into a puddle.

For locals or frequent visitors, what month strikes the best balance? I'm thinking maybe late April or early October? Also, are there any hidden costs or weather surprises (like hurricanes) I should watch out for in those shoulder months? Any advice on specific regions that are less crowded year-round would be great too. Thanks in advance.

I've been slowly replacing things in my 1922 foursquare and it got me thinking about what original or near-original appliances people are still using. My basement still has the original coal chute door but unfortunately no coal stove to go with it.

The oldest thing in my house that still works is a 1950s Frigidaire refrigerator in the garage. It's that pale yellow color, hums like a tractor, and refuses to die. My neighbor somehow still has the original 1920s gas stove in her kitchen. She had it converted for natural gas and uses it almost daily.

What about you all? Anyone still cooking on a wood stove from 1910? Have a boiler that was installed when Coolidge was president? I'm curious how far people have pushed the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality. Also would love to hear any horror stories of appliances that finally gave out after 80 plus years and left a mess behind.

Mostly I'm just looking for an excuse to appreciate how differently things were built back then.

Been riding for about five years and I recently realized I still coast with the clutch pulled in around corners. Learned it from my dad on dirt bikes as a kid and never broke the habit. Working on trailing the rear brake instead and keeping the engine engaged but man old habits die hard. Got me wondering what everyone else is trying to fix. Maybe you rest your foot under the shifter without meaning to. Or you grab a fistful of front brake in panic instead of easing into it. Could be something small like not canceling turn signals or something bigger like target fixation that still creeps up on faster sweepers. Not looking for lectures on what's safe or not. Just curious what other riders are actively working on. The stuff you catch yourself doing even though you know better. Also if you managed to break a really stubborn habit I'd love to hear how you did it. Sometimes just hearing someone else struggles with the same thing makes it easier to focus on fixing.

alright Toldeo I need some real talk because Im running out of ideas.i moved out to Oregon last year for a job and ive been trying to sell my place in the Old Orchard area ever since. its a 3 bed 1 bath but solid for the most part. the problem is the house needs a new roof and the basement has some water issues when it rains heavy. nothing crazy but enough that regular buyers get scared off.ive had it listed with an agent since January. dropped the price three times already from 165k down to 139k. had a few showings but zero offers. everyone just ghosts after the inspection report comes back. im paying mortgage on an empty house plus utilities and lawn care because the city gets mad if it looks abandoned. its bleeding me dry .i thought about renting it out but im 2000 miles away and being a long distance landlord sounds like a nightmare. what if something breaks? what if the tenants stop paying? I cant just fly back to deal with that.

one of my coworkers mentioned I should look into companies that buy houses for cash.

im also wondering if I should just drop the price even more. like what if I list it at 120k? at that point after agent fees id walk away with nothing but at least id stop losing money every month.or do I hold out and hope the market gets better? everything I read says interest rates might drop but who knows when.what would you do if you were me? Thanks guys

I have black cursive lettering on my left collarbone from about 8 years ago. It's about 4 inches long and the lines are pretty thick and packed in. I don't hate the words but they remind me of a time in my life I'd rather not think about anymore. I've talked to two artists about a cover up. One said laser first or it will look muddy. The other said he could do a dark floral piece over it no problem. I really don't want to go through laser if I don't have to.

Has anyone here successfully covered dark script without lasering first?
What kind of design worked for you?

I'm open to going bigger and darker obviously. Just want to make sure I'm not setting myself up for something that looks worse in a few years.

I've been thinking about my next tattoo for months and I'm stuck. Half of me wants to get something deeply personal. A symbol for a family member, a quote that got me through a rough year, that kind of thing. The other half just wants a really well done piece of flash from an artist I admire. Something purely aesthetic with no story attached.

I see amazing tattoos on here every day and I can't tell which ones started with deep meaning and which ones just looked rad on the wall. Does the meaning actually matter over time? For people who have both types, do you find yourself connecting differently to the ones with personal significance vs the ones you just thought were beautiful?

Part of me worries that if I get something just for the art, I might regret not having a story behind it later. But another part thinks that overthinking the meaning is why I have empty space on my arm right now.

Curious how others navigate this. Do you only get tattoos with meaning or do you collect art for art's sake?