My old boss at a firm on Jasper Avenue told me to ignore local SEO for a year.

He said focusing on big national keywords would bring in more clients. After 12 months, our site traffic was up but we got zero calls from people in Edmonton. I switched to targeting terms like 'Edmonton car accident lawyer' and calls started within a week. Has anyone else had a boss give them marketing advice that totally backfired?

Why does nobody talk about how many people give up on learning an instrument?

I was looking at my old guitar case in the attic and found a receipt from 2008 for lessons I never finished. It said I only went to three out of twelve sessions I paid for. Has anyone else started something like that and then just stopped?

Question about using pecan wood for a brisket in Dallas

I smoked a 14-pound brisket with pecan wood last weekend, expecting a mild, sweet flavor like everyone says. Instead, it came out with a really strong, almost bitter taste that overpowered the meat. I learned that pecan can burn hotter and faster than oak if you're not careful with the airflow. Has anyone else in a dry climate like Texas had this happen, and what's your go-to wood for brisket here?

Got caught in a surprise downpour on the Lost Coast Trail and my old tent failed. What's a good 3-season tent for heavy rain under $250?

My coffee gear spreadsheet hit 100 entries yesterday

It started as a simple list of beans I liked. Now it's got every bag, roast date, and brew method from the last two years. Seeing that triple-digit count made me realize how deep this hobby has gotten. Anyone else track their coffee this closely, or am I just extra?

Bought a $120 thermal camera for my phone to find hot spots in panels, and it paid for itself on one job.

I finally saw what happens when you skip the primer on a bathroom ceiling

Did a repair for a buddy in Phoenix who insisted it wasn't needed, and after 4 months the new mud was a totally different color than the old. Anyone else had a client fight you on this basic step?

My mom told me to put 10% of every check into a separate account, no matter what.

I started doing it right after I got my first real job at 22, even when rent was tight. Last month, my truck's transmission went out and the repair was $2,800. That account had the money, and I didn't have to put it on a card. Did anyone else get a piece of simple advice that saved them years later?

Rant: I used to cut around every single outlet box with a jab saw, but after a job in Tampa where I had to do 47 of them, I bought a rotary tool.

Now I zip around them in seconds, and my only real question is, what's the best bit you guys have found for that, because mine keeps gumming up with joint compound dust?

My neighbor's lost dog situation made me rethink my 'finders keepers' instinct.

Last week, I found a clearly well-cared-for golden retriever with a collar but no tags in my yard, and my first thought was to just keep him if no one claimed him, but then I spent $15 on a 'found dog' ad at the local vet clinic and the real owner, a kid from two blocks over, got him back the same day, which felt way better. Has anyone else had a moment where the easier, selfish choice was right there but doing the slightly harder, right thing was surprisingly more rewarding?