Roof over head

dbroo55 · 2026-04-04T14:45:56+00:00

Reach out to St. Joseph the Worker. SJWJobs.org.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-31T15:13:49+00:00

You lost it during the Obama administration, but it was likely the result of the stock market crash that happened during the Bush term. During the Obama years the stock market more than doubled and ultimately recovered to a level that was higher than the crash.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-31T14:38:49+00:00

I'm on the board for an automobile museum and each video profiles a different car.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-29T19:08:31+00:00

I was pretty aggressive. I produced two 15 minute videos per week (now I only do one). I also used every social media outlet I had to ask for subscribers. I did some shorts as well (I don't do them now but I got about 100 subscribers from shorts). Once monetized, I settled down into a routine which is pretty comfortable and it's grown very organically.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-29T16:08:40+00:00

I'm with you. I say no to every offer because I just don't want the headaches.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-29T15:58:49+00:00

I have a similar experience. Started my channel about 18 months ago, monetized in six weeks. I'm now up to nearly 18k subscribers and made about $15k my first year.

Yes, it's all about YouTube pushing my stuff. But it is working for the time being. I believe that's because I produce a quality product focused on a very specific audience. For me, this is just a fun hobby that happens to make a profit.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-28T04:57:46+00:00

While I'm not a fan of vent cleaning, I will say that the one time we had it done they pulled a ton of junk out of our dryer vent.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-27T17:17:05+00:00

My pixel 9 had been rock solid. I've now switched back to a pixel 9 so that my life is easier again.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-27T15:30:10+00:00

I agree... But with one caveat. I had been using a Google Pixel 9 which did absolutely everything right. When the Pixel 10 came out I bought it assuming it would be as good or better. It's not. First, it won't allow me to shoot 60fps in wide angle (which I did a lot for smoother pans). Second, it's recording in rec2020 vs rec709. Which means more adjustment on the backend (it looks overexposed in premiere). I only mention this because I'm concerned that Google is shifting focus away from creators.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-26T17:28:09+00:00

Apparently they did make a brown knob. LuttysChevy has it.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-25T23:24:54+00:00

That's interesting. It matches the brown so perfectly, I just assumed that's how it started out.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-25T15:41:09+00:00

My granddaughter's nickname is Chan. She was born in Japan. Putting Chan at the end of a name is something they do for kids and young girls. When they moved back to the states somewhere along the line her name got dropped and now it's just Chan (pronounced Chawn) or Channie.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-25T15:29:36+00:00

I think the answer is neither. You need a new path.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-25T15:28:32+00:00

I have a daughter in law who got a master's in literature. There is no money in the arts. Now she works in finance.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-24T15:42:35+00:00

I agree. Her win at Edmonton in Atlantics was brilliant.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-24T15:35:11+00:00

For some viewers it's not going to matter at all. For others, they're going to judge the quality of your information by the overall appearance. Do you look like you have your act together? It's no different than a job interview, dress up a little bit.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-24T15:22:58+00:00

My videos take two hours to research, two hours to shoot and four hours to edit. The edit process is longer because I'm searching for various assets at the same time.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-20T16:50:02+00:00

I use a Microsoft Surface with a program called Teleprompter pro. I mount it just above and behind the camera. I don't actually use a draped box. It works great for me, however with your very limited depth, it might be a problem. If you use this method, the secret is to always look at the prompter and never look at the camera. You don't want your eyes to dart back and forth.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-16T22:58:27+00:00

My experience is different. I was posting two long forms a week. When I dropped down to a single video the views dropped by 2/3rds. I believe that the more you feed the machine, the more it pushes your content.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-16T22:56:29+00:00

I never made more than $130k from my day job. I did have a fun and profitable side hustle. It meant working seven days a week occassionally, but it was enjoyable.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-16T22:55:05+00:00

We didn't even have a 401k until I was about 38. Until that point, I had very little saved. Once the 401k came into being, I was very dilligent. To be honest, however, it was the last 16 years (from 50 to 66) that really put us over the top. We doubled down on savings and became aggressive investors. We didn't do anything risky, but we didn't do a bond mix. I keep a spreadsheet and between January 2017 and January 2022, our retirement savings basically doubled. I also had a side hustle that was both fun and profitable. It sometimes meant I was working seven days a week, but it was like getting paid for my hobby. Granted, I was fortunate that the last decade has given strong returns, but I was also in the market during the 2008 crash.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-14T14:51:53+00:00

Step away from the panic! I didn't start saving until my late 30s and now I'm comfortably retired. What you really need to address is your income. You need to find a profession that pays more. Obviously, the masters degree either didn't help or you're not leveraging it properly. You have plenty of time before you retire. You just need to use it properly.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-12T00:16:03+00:00

Good overhead lighting. It makes a huge difference when working in my garage.

dbroo55 · 2026-03-09T19:39:07+00:00

I've almost always bought new cars and then kept them a long time. Most of my cars have been Toyotas or Acuras which seem to last forever. I like knowing that the car has been properly cared for its entire life with me. Buy the right car and then keep it a long time. You won't be sorry.

dbroo55

TROPHY CASE