Welcome to Ask Clare, our advice column. Have a question, dilemma, or quandary? Send it to Clare in an email or on her Facebook page.
Clare,
I am thinking about renting my house out for Coachella and Stagecoach. Some friends of mine do it every year and make a killing. Despite this, my wife does not like this idea. I think it would be a bit of work but could pay for an extra vacation this summer. How do I get her on board? – Hopeful host
Hopeful host,
I get both sides here. Invite these friends of yours who do it successfully to dinner with your wife and find out what they do to make sure it is a positive experience (hint: it’s a lot of work). If she’s still not convinced, you’re out of luck. Don’t push her too hard. You don’t want to hear about this 20 years from now if someone decides to make your mattress a pool floatie. – Clare
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Clare,
I have a coworker who regularly mispronounces a fairly common word. This isn’t an accent or language issue. It just seems he learned it wrong. He happens to use this word a lot. Otherwise, he comes off as an intelligent guy. Would it be rude to tell him? – Pronunciation police
Pronunciation police,
Try using the word soon after he does with the proper pronunciation. If he doesn’t pick up on it and is not a close friend of yours, leave him to his ways and hope you snag that next promotion over him. – Clare
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Clare,
My little sister is about to buy her first house. I am really proud of her. It is a good deal on a nice place within her budget. The drawback: she’s buying the house with her boyfriend. They’ve been together for five years but aren’t engaged. She says she thinks they’ll end up together but they haven’t discussed marriage. I want to give her advice but I don’t want to damage my relationship with her or her boyfriend. – Big sis
Big sis,
Tell your sister how proud you are. Ask her what she plans to do about the house if they split. Don’t get judgmental or try to change her plans. Be supportive. Buy her a cactus when they move in – hopefully it won’t outlast her relationship. – Clare
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