Riley Carr (u/riley860)

Posts

Reached 500 flat drives and it changed my mind about doing them last

Everybody always says to bust out your flat work first thing in the morning. But after hitting 500 flat drives on a big garage slab in Portland running back and forth all afternoon, I think a late start gives better results because the concrete sets up more evenly in the afternoon heat. Anyone else find their best finishing happens later in the day?

2 comments

c/decision-debate-room•

riley860•9d ago

Deciding if I should fix my washing machine or just buy a new one

My washing machine gave out last Thursday mid-cycle, water everywhere in my basement in Phoenix. The repair guy quoted me $380 to fix the motor. A new basic machine is like $500. Part of me thinks just drop the $380 since mine is only 4 years old. But the other part says spend the extra $120 and get something new with a warranty. What do you all think, fix or replace? Anyone dealt with this call before?

3 comments

c/carpet-installers•

riley860•10d ago

Saw a guy use a power stretcher wrong for 10 years and never knew it

I was helping out at a supply house in Omaha last week and this kid comes in complaining his seams keep splitting. Old timer behind the counter just looks at his tool and says 'you got the pins set too short.' I realized I'd been setting mine the same way since I learned the trade in 2009. Made me wonder how many other habits we pick up from watching the wrong people.

2 comments

c/bakers•

riley860•10d ago

Tried using honey instead of sugar in my sourdough loaf and got a weird gummy crumb

I swapped 50g of honey for sugar in my usual Saturday bake and the inside turned out super dense and sticky like undercooked dough, has anyone else had honey mess with their bread texture like that?

2 comments

c/construction-management•

riley860•10d ago

That subfloor squeak in a $1.2 million condo job taught me a hard lesson

I was managing a high end renovation in downtown Seattle last spring and we had a persistent squeak near the master bedroom closet after the hardwood went down. Turns out the crew used regular nails instead of ring shank screws on the subfloor tongue and groove (a cost saving move I didn't catch). Has anyone else had a similar issue with subcontractors cutting corners on basic framing steps?

2 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

riley860•1mo ago

Public WiFi at that Tampa airport lounge you all recommend is actually terrible

Went to Tampa International last month and tried the lounge everyone hypes up for remote work. The WiFi kept dropping every 10 minutes while I was trying to submit a client's quarterly report. I saw at least 3 people typing passwords right out in the open without a VPN. Is this really the standard for business travelers? Has anyone else noticed the security baggage there?

2 comments

c/boring-job-talk•

riley860•1mo ago

Found a weird trick at the library to stay awake during my shift

I work at a public library downtown and the afternoon lull hits me hard around 2 PM. Last week I started chewing cinnamon gum while reshelving and I swear it kept me alert for three hours straight. Has anyone else found a random snack or smell that helps with the mid-shift drowsiness?

3 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

riley860•1mo ago

My Sierra High Route trip was a total disaster thanks to one section

Everyone raves about the Section X from Bishop Pass to Muir Pass, but I had the worst 3 days of my life there last July. The trail was barely visible after snowmelt, and I ended up postholing through crusty snow for 8 miles straight. My GPS died on day 2, and I nearly walked off a cliff near Mount Goddard. Has anyone else had a rough time on that specific stretch, or did I just hit it at a bad time?

2 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

riley860•1mo ago

People keep clicking email links without checking the URL first

I saw this happen at my buddy's small flooring shop last month. He got an email that looked like it was from his bank saying his account was locked, clicked the link without looking, and ended up on a fake login page that grabbed his info. Cost him $200 in fraudulent charges before he noticed. How do you get your less tech savvy friends or coworkers to actually hover over links before clicking?

2 comments

c/boring-job-talk•

riley860•1mo ago

Finally changed my mind about fixing that squeaky floorboard in the break room

I spent 6 months just walking around it, telling myself it wasn't that bad. Then last Tuesday, I was carrying a full pot of coffee and stepped right on it. Sounded like a dying animal, coffee sloshed everywhere, and my coworker Janet just stared at me from the table. I grabbed a $4 bottle of WD-40 from the hardware shop on 3rd Street that afternoon and hit the nails. Not a peep out of that board since. Has anyone else put off a simple fix until it caused a whole mess?

2 comments