Oh man, I totally bought that same line once and learned the hard way too.

Maybe it's just me, but three hours on a fuel pump sounds like a bad day, not a gauge problem.

Used to swear by those flat monthly retainers, honestly thought sprint billing was just a way to inflate hours. But hearing that 12 hour minimum made me realize I was pricing myself like it was 1995, when clients actually needed constant hand holding. Now I see the old model rewarded sitting around, not doing the work. Have you switched to sprint based pricing and seen your margins change?

Learned this the hard way in Mexico City, spent almost 3 hours walking past the same taco stands because I kept reading online reviews on my phone. Finally stopped at this little lady who only had three things on her menu, got the simplest chicken soup and it was the best meal of my whole trip. Now I just look for places where the locals are eating, not the ones with the shiny menus or the big signs in English. If the line is mostly workers and older folks, that is my green light. Also, I always carry my own plastic spoon and napkins, that way even the sketchy looking places feel a bit safer to try.

Oh geez, that’s a nightmare, I feel for you! Same thing happened to me a few years back with a 90s Dior chain bag, snapped right at the clasp while I was crossing 14th Street. I ended up taking it to a little repair shop on the Lower East Side, not a fancy bag place, just a jeweler who works on chains. He swapped in a new, thicker chain that looked almost the same but way sturdier, cost me about 80 bucks and took a week. The key is to ask if they can match the old hardware, not just slap on any random chain, because the color and shape matter so much on vintage pieces. Honestly, don’t buy a whole replacement part yet, those are crazy expensive and often not even original. Your phone dropping is the real insult here though, hope the screen survived!