[off topic]
I've been telling people to read 'Cryptonomicon' for decades.
It tells two interwoven stories. Back in WW2 the grandfather is involved in proactive missions to keep the Nazis from learning the Allies had broken their codes, and in the late 1990's the grandson is trying to start an online bank
I don't lend.
If they need money and I can afford it, I'll just make a gift of it.
If I can't afford it, they can't have it.
If you’re good at something, even if you don’t enjoy it, it might still make a good career. You don’t have to love what makes you money, just not hate it. If you’re good enough, you end up with a lot more free time for yourself. Doing what you love can also cause you to hate doing it as a hobby eventually. People don’t “love” their jobs. You don’t see them paying to do their job like they do for tennis lessons or sports events. You probably just tolerate your job, and that’s ok. Your life isn’t ruined.
This so many times over.
I spent years trying to get a job I loved.
Ended up getting a different job that I was kinda good at.
Turns out, being good at a job every day makes you feel good at the end of the day.
I ask everyone I give my number to to text me first so I can verify
If there had been the massive conspiracy everyone imagines, at least one of the people involved would have left a deathbed confession.
"Deep Throat" was one guy and they couldn't kept his identity covered up.
It's a cheap and easy way to teach children to visualize.
That's the point.
If it isn't for everybody, it's a privilege
"Night Soldiers" by Allan Furst. After his younger brother is killed by a fascist mob, a Bulgarian fisherman is recruited to join Russian intelligence. Trained as a spy in Moscow, he begins to question his trainers and their motives. After being sent to fight in the Spanish Civil War, he makes his way to Paris.
Great book. Reads like Franz Kafka and Ian Fleming decided to collaborate.
Manhattan Island has entered the chat...
Another vote for gift cards/cash.
They know pretty specifically what they want.
Funny story. I happen to have a bunch of Crimson Skies toys sitting in a box, all unopened. There was a comic shop near my job and they had a clear-out table that sold unpopular items at a steep discount. I got a bunch of T-shirts and other stuff, and liked the Crimson Skies stuff. For a buck each, why not?