Marcus Bell to Buddy
Can you answer these with my usual prices and put them on the jobs sheet? On a job till 3.
3 forwarded: Jenna R., Chidi Okafor, Dale P.
Hi, I’m Buddy.
I’m who you text when something needs doing. Tell me like you’d tell a friend, and I’ll handle it and check back in.
Text me, email me, or open the VXBE desktop app. Here’s one Tuesday.
Say it once. I’ll keep doing it.
- Every Friday, text me what’s due next week.
- Remind me the night before trash day.
- At 1 every day, send me the news in five bullets.
- Sunday 4:12 PM
- You: what was that lemon pasta from the lake house
- Buddy: Lemon orzo with peas! I just emailed you the recipe 🍋
- Yesterday 9:14 PM
- You: can you text me every morning at 6 with the weather, what’s on my calendar, and anything I’m forgetting?
- Buddy: Yes! Starting tomorrow ☀️
- Today 6:00 AM
- Buddy: Morning! 41° now, 68° by 3. Jacket for drop-off, not for pickup.
- Buddy: Dentist at 10:15. Sam’s practice moved to 5:30, his coach emailed last night.
- Buddy: And Maya’s library books are due today 📚
- You: you’re the best Buddy loved this.
7:05am
A rain gauge outside Kingfisher, Oklahoma.
Keep a running log by texting me. I’ll put it where it goes and tell you what it adds up to.
- Log 42 bales off the north field.
- How many times did we spray in June?
- Tell me any evening frost is coming.
- Today 7:05 AM
- You: 1.4 in the gauge this morning
- Buddy: Logged ✅ That’s 2.6 inches for October so far, already more than all of September.
- You: what’d we get last october
- Buddy: 0.9 the whole month. You’re way ahead.
- Buddy: Want a heads up when three dry days are coming? Sounds like you’ll need them to finish drilling wheat.
- You: yeah that’d help
- Buddy: Done. I’ll check the forecast every evening and text you when a window opens 🌾
Rain 2026Google Sheets
| Date | Inches |
|---|---|
| Sep 27 | 0.8 |
| Oct 3 | 0.3 |
| Oct 9 | 0.9 |
| Oct 20 | 1.4 |
| October | 2.6 |
9:20am
Three quote requests, and a tile installer in Norfolk, Virginia, with grout on his hands.
Forward me anything and say what you want done. I’ll draft, file, and flag. You decide what gets sent.
- Can you deal with this?
- Answer these the way I usually do, but don’t send yet.
- Add these receipts to my expenses sheet.
Re: Fwd: 3 quote requests
Buddy to Marcus
Hey Marcus, all three are drafted in your Gmail, ready for you to look over and send:
- Jenna R., kitchen backsplash, 30 sq ft: $1,050 installed at your $35 rate. I asked if she has tile picked out.
- The Okafors, shower surround: $2,900 to $3,400 depending on the niche and glass. I asked for two photos before you commit to a number.
- Dale P., bathroom floor, 60 sq ft: $1,680, plus $300 if the old floor has to come up. I asked what’s down there now.
They’re rows 41 to 43 on your 2026 Jobs sheet, marked Quoted.
Heads up: Dale wants it done before Thanksgiving, and you’re booked solid the week of November 16. I didn’t promise him a date.
Buddy
11:45am
Memory care for Mom, researched on a lunch break in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Hand me the research you keep putting off. I’ll check the sites, line it up side by side, and save it for you.
- Compare the three daycares near us on price, hours, and waitlist.
- Find a used truck under $25,000 within 100 miles.
- Which of these four roofing quotes is the best deal?
- You: Can you find three places near Mom that do memory care? I need the monthly cost, visiting hours, and whether there’s a waitlist. She’s in 74105.
- Buddy: On it. I’ll check each place’s own site and put them side by side.
Working notes
- Find memory care near 74105Done
- Check each place’s own siteDone
- Look for cost, visiting hours, and waitlistsWorking on it
- Save a comparison for youNot started
11:58 AM
Buddy: Two list their prices. One wants a call.
All three are within 15 minutes of her. Here’s how they compare:
Place Each month Visiting Waitlist Maple Court $6,200 to $7,100 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. About 6 weeks Brookside Memory Care From $6,450 Any time, sign in at the desk Open now Rose Hill House Call for pricing 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Not listed I haven’t contacted anyone. Want me to draft a note to Rose Hill asking about pricing and a tour?
Saved for you
Memory care near Mom, side by side.pdfPDF · 214 KB
2:30pm
A voice memo from I‑40, somewhere west of Amarillo.
Send me off to handle a website. When it needs your password or your card, I’ll hand you the screen for that part.
- Renew my car registration, and bring me in for the payment.
- Get me a 9 a.m. tee time Saturday.
- Sign me up for the next CPR class at the Y.
- Today 2:30 PM
- You sent a voice memo: Hey, can you get us a campsite at Jumbo Rocks in Joshua Tree for November 6th and 7th? Close to the bathrooms if you can.
- Buddy: On it!
- Buddy: Sites 58 and 71 are open both nights. 58 is closer to the restrooms.
- Buddy: Recreation.gov needs you signed in before I can hold one. Once you’re parked, tap this and I’ll hand you my screen:
- Take over Buddy’s screenSign in to Recreation.gov
- 2:47 PM
- Buddy: You’re in! Site 58 is in your cart, $30 a night. Your card goes in on their page, never in chat, so here’s one more:
- Take over Buddy’s screenPay on Recreation.gov
- 2:52 PM
- Buddy: Booked ✅ Jumbo Rocks site 58, November 6 and 7. The confirmation’s in your email.
7:45pm
A grandpa in Sarasota, Florida, fifteen minutes before a bedtime video call.
Ask me to make something: a story, a card, a flyer, a little website. I’ll send you a link you can share.
- Make a birthday card for my sister from this photo.
- Make a coloring page of a dinosaur driving a tractor.
- Make a little website for the family reunion.
- Today 7:45 PM
- You: Nora wants a story about Pickles tonight. Can you make one with pictures? Pickles is her beagle, he steals socks
- Buddy: Oh, I love this. Give me a few minutes 🧦
- 7:52 PM
- Buddy: Here it is: Pickles and the Great Sock Mystery. Twelve pages, every one illustrated.
- Pickles and the Great Sock Mysteryvibecodr.space
- Buddy: Share your screen on the call and swipe through it together. Page 9 is my favorite. Don’t tell Pickles.
- You: She is going to lose her mind Buddy laughed at this.
Nora followed the trail of socks down the hall.
There, in Pickles’ bed, was every missing sock in the house.
Pickles did not look sorry at all.
11:40pm
The mom from 6 a.m., finally in bed.
Just talk to me. I remember what matters and bring it up when it helps.
- What did I say I’d do this week?
- Remember that Sam’s allergic to cashews.
- What did we decide about the fence?
- Today 11:40 PM
- You: anything I’m forgetting for tomorrow?
- Buddy: Just two things.
- Buddy: Picture day is Thursday. You wanted Maya’s blue dress laid out tomorrow night so it isn’t a morning fight.
- Buddy: And on Sunday you said you’d call your sister back about Thanksgiving. Want a nudge at lunch?
- You: yes please. what would I do without you
- Buddy: Forget picture day, probably 😄 Night! 🌙
That was Tuesday.
What would you hand me tomorrow?
You don’t need special words. Here’s what people ask me, in the words they actually use.
Home and family
- Every Sunday night, text me what’s on the family calendar this week.
- Here’s a photo of the fridge. What can I make in 30 minutes?
- Find a plumber near me who can come this week, and draft a message I can send.
- Remind me the day before garbage pickup, every week.
Money
- Here’s my card statement. What subscriptions am I paying for?
- The cabin was $1,840 for four couples and Dave already paid $300. Who owes what?
- Compare these three car insurance quotes and tell me what’s actually different.
- Make me a spreadsheet of last month’s spending by category.
Work and business
- Before my 2:00 with Priya, read our last few emails and give me the short version.
- Turn these notes into a one-page proposal I can send.
- Every Friday, pull what’s due next week from Notion.
- Catch me up on what I missed in Slack today.
Health and caregiving
- Make a list of Dad’s medications with doses and times I can print for the fridge.
- Here’s Mom’s explanation of benefits. Does anything look off?
- Remind me every night at 8 to check that Mom took her pills.
- Find three pediatric dentists near us that take our insurance.
School
- Here’s the syllabus. Put every due date on my calendar.
- Quiz me on these notes every night at 9 until Thursday.
- Explain this math problem like I’m the parent who forgot how.
- Read my essay and tell me what’s unclear. Don’t rewrite it.
Land and outdoors
- Every morning at 5, text me the low, the wind, and whether it’ll rain.
- Log today’s rain: 0.6 inches.
- Check the county’s site every Monday and tell me when burn permits open.
- Find a campsite near the lake for the 16th with room for the trailer.
Plans and trips
- My parents visit the 4th through the 7th. Plan a few easy things near us, and check the weather.
- Find flights to Denver under $300 for Thanksgiving week.
- Make a packing list for a week in Maine in October.
- Make a little website with the wedding weekend schedule for our guests.
Just for fun
- Make a bedtime story about our dog, with pictures.
- Settle this: is a hot dog a sandwich? Show your work.
- Every Friday at noon, send me one good thing that happened this week.
- Turn this photo of my garden into a watercolor.
When a job needs your apps, connect them and I’ll work right in them.
Gmail
Google Calendar
Outlook
Slack
Notion
GitHub- and many more
See Buddy do jobs like these, start to finish
The guides go deeper on each of these. Read the guides
Three ways to reach me.
Same Buddy in all of them.
Text me
In iMessage, from the phone you already carry. Photos, voice memos, and links all work. US numbers for now.
Email me
You get your own address for me. Forward anything, and reply to keep going.
Open the VXBE desktop app
For Windows. Watch me work, take over when I need you, and find everything I’ve saved for you. Completely optional.
Hand me the first thing on your list.
Take a look, and we’ll get you started.