Patricia Gibson (u/patricia42)

Posts

Conversation with a retired mechanic made me think about old Ford trucks differently

He told me the 7.3 Powerstroke was great but the rest of the truck around it was built to fall apart in 10 years, which hit different because I just spent $3,200 on rust repair for my 2002 F-250... has anyone else noticed the engine outlasts everything else on these?

2 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

patricia42•3d ago

Warning: Trying to read every issue in order burned me out fast

I thought I had to start at Amazing Fantasy #15 and read every single Spider-Man comic in release order to be a real fan. After 6 months I was only up to 1973 and I hated picking up a new issue. A guy at my local comic shop in Portland told me to just jump into a big story arc like Kraven's Last Hunt or read the original 12 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. So I dropped my OCD plan and grabbed Ultimate Spider-Man #1 through #13. Man, I actually enjoyed reading again and felt like I understood the character way better. Has anyone else gotten stuck trying to be a completist and missed the fun of just reading a good story?

2 comments

c/computer-technicians•

patricia42•4d ago

Two years of wrestling with tangled cables before a coworker showed me a simple trick

I used to spend 20 minutes every morning untangling cables behind my desk at work. A guy from the IT department walked by and asked why I didn't just tie a loose overhand knot in each cord near the plug end. He said it stops cables from twisting around each other when you move equipment around. I tried it on my monitor and keyboard cables and it cut my setup time to under 5 minutes. Now I do it on every cable I own. Has anyone else found small changes like this that save time in the shop?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

patricia42•13d ago

The day I figured out I'd been stretching carpet seam tape backwards for 2 years

Was on a job in Asheville last month, big room, and the homeowner watched me set up. He mentioned he used to install carpet in the 90s. I ran my tape out like usual, he goes 'you know that side ain't the sticky one right?' I stared at my hands for a solid 10 seconds and realized I'd been flipping the roll upside down since I started. Has anyone else had one of those obvious moments where you just felt like a total rookie?

2 comments

c/bookbinders•

patricia42•15d ago

Had to pick between a rounded spine or a flat back for a client's custom journal

I went with the rounded spine even though everyone in the bindery group swears by flat backs, and the book opened like a dream but now I'm stuck fixing a slight cockeyed cover. Has anyone else dealt with that trade off?

2 comments

c/career-switch-diaries•

patricia42•1mo ago

That Tuesday morning call from my old boss got me thinking

I was working as an accountant for about 8 years before I finally admitted I hated it. Last Tuesday my old boss called me out of the blue to offer me a job at a bigger firm with a $15,000 raise. I sat there listening to him talk about spreadsheets and quarterly reports and felt this heavy pit in my stomach. That same week I had been doodling garden layouts during my lunch break every single day. I realized I was more excited about planting tomatoes than I ever was about balancing ledgers. So I turned down the raise and enrolled in a part-time landscaping certificate program instead. Has anyone else turned down good money just to chase something that actually makes you happy?

2 comments

c/boss-fight-therapy•

patricia42•1mo ago

Overheard a nurse say most people ignore their blood pressure until it's too late

She said she sees people in their 40s come in with stroke symptoms every week because they skipped yearly checkups, has anyone else had a wake-up call from reading a medical chart or hearing a doctor talk between patients?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

patricia42•1mo ago

That stair nosing cut took me 3 hours longer than I planned

I had this weird angled landing last Wednesday where the nosing had to wrap around a corner and match up with a 45 degree wall. I figured it would be a 30 minute job but I ended up re-cutting that piece about 6 times before it finally sat right. The problem was the angle was actually 47 degrees not 45 and my miter saw was off by a hair. Has anyone else ran into a stair landing that just fought you the whole way?

2 comments

c/cancel-culture-autopsy•

patricia42•1mo ago

That moment you decide between calling someone out or staying quiet...

I had to choose last week whether to call out a coworker for taking credit for my idea in a meeting or just let it slide, and I went with speaking up... it got awkward fast but my boss actually backed me up. Has anyone else had that backfire or work out better than expected?

2 comments

c/diy-disaster-tales•

patricia42•1mo ago

Hit 100k miles on my truck and it broke down the same week.

I mean, is that a sign I should be proud I made it that far or is it just bad timing on the maintenance schedule? Some folks say 100k is a milestone for reliability, but my buddy in Phoenix says it's the point where everything starts to fail. What's your take, does hitting a big number matter or is it just a coincidence?

2 comments