Once We Were Spacemen Once We Sold Dead Snakes | Episode 16
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Feb 25, 2026 They trade wild first-job stories from selling dead snakes for silver dollars to paper routes and trophy-shop gigs. They reminisce about childhood hustles, Choose Your Own Adventure rentals, and mimeograph scams. They riff on scooters, unicycles, cartoon mischief, on-set improv moments, and how early freedom shaped their teens.
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Kid Hustle Sold A Dead Snake For A Silver Dollar
- Alan sold a dead snake door-to-door to a neighbor for a silver dollar as his first money-making hustle.
- He insisted on a silver dollar specifically and celebrated the sale to Patrick Larkin as an early lesson in salesmanship.
Paperboy Routes Taught Early Financial Independence
- Nathan worked as a paperboy with two routes, rolling stacks of papers and collecting payments door-to-door.
- He describes the early mornings, rubber bands, dealing with dogs, and learning financial independence from chores.
Kid Rented Choose Your Own Adventure Books To Classmates
- Alan rented his Choose Your Own Adventure books to classmates, creating a mini lending business with a ledger and repeat customers.
- He built a small entrepreneurial loop to fund his habit of buying new books during middle school.