Shane Martinez (u/shane_martinez44)

Posts

Hit 50,000 miles on my delivery route last Tuesday

Didn't even realize until I checked the odometer during a gas stop. That's like driving around the world twice just dropping off packages in the same zip code. Anyone else track random milestones at work?

2 comments

c/cosmetic-procedures•

shane_martinez44•1d ago

My dermatologist told me to stop using retinol every night. Turns out she was right.

For about 6 months I was applying 0.05% retinol every single night because I thought more was better. My skin got red, flaky, and even broke out more. At my last checkup in March, my dermatologist in Denver said to cut back to 3 times a week and use a heavier moisturizer on off nights. I thought she was being too cautious. After 6 weeks of following her advice, my skin looks way better. No more peeling and the fine lines are actually fading. Has anyone else had success with cutting back on actives?

2 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

shane_martinez44•2d ago

Hot take: I used to skip color grading entirely in my pieces

A pro in a Discord crit told me my values were fine but my hues were muddying everything, and after fixing it on one portrait the difference was night and day. Anyone else ignore color theory until someone called them out on it?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

shane_martinez44•3d ago

Old timer told me to butter my ends. Changed my whole game.

Been laying brick for about 4 years now. Always just slapped mortar on the bed and set the brick. Then this 60 year old guy named Bill watched me for like 2 minutes on a job last fall. He goes "you know you're gonna get cold joints doing that right?" Told me to always butter the vertical ends of every brick before setting it. I was like nah that takes too long. But I tried it on a retaining wall I did near my house in Akron. Huge difference. No more gaps or weak spots. My wall came out way straighter too. Anyone else get taught this way late?

2 comments

c/digital-nomad-life•

shane_martinez44•5d ago

Am I the one who thinks coworking spaces are a total scam now?

I paid $350 for a month at a spot in Medellin last week and the WiFi went down for 3 hours every afternoon. They said it was "part of the charm" but my client call dropped twice. Am I crazy for thinking we should just hit up local cafes instead?

2 comments

c/bank-vs-broker•

shane_martinez44•11d ago

I think most people overcomplicate their emergency fund location

For years I kept my emergency fund in a regular checking account because I wanted instant access. It earned basically nothing but I figured that was the price of safety. About 18 months ago I moved it to a high yield savings account at an online broker instead of my local bank. My bank pays 0.05% while the broker account gives me 4.2% right now. The transfer takes two business days to hit my checking which still seems fast enough for any real emergency. I had a roof repair last spring that cost $8,600 and the money moved over Thursday and paid the contractor Friday without any issue. Has anyone else found brokers making more sense than banks for holding cash that's just sitting there?

2 comments

c/dead-end-jobs-club•

shane_martinez44•13d ago

Three hours to fix a copy machine jam, seriously?

Worked at this print shop for two years and the main copier jams if you look at it wrong. Last Tuesday, a paper shred got stuck in a roller I couldn't even see, and it took me three hours to dig it out with tweezers and a flashlight. Anyone else spend half a shift wrestling with a machine that should just work?

2 comments

c/book-club-debates•

shane_martinez44•1mo ago

My book club said I was picking 'too safe' novels and it stung but they were right

I used to only choose bestsellers or books with movie adaptations, thought that was the only way to keep everyone happy. At our meeting last month, Jen called me out and said we were stuck in a rut because of my picks. She pointed out we hadn't discussed anything weird or challenging in over a year. Now I'm trying to mix in more translated fiction and debuts, see if it changes the conversation. Anyone else get critique from their club that actually made reading better?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

shane_martinez44•1mo ago

I used to be a total sleeping pad snob but last month changed my mind

For like 3 years I swore by my blow-up mattress at camp, the kind you plug in and inflate to full bed height. I figured any foam pad was just for ultralight weirdos who liked sleeping on concrete. But last month I crashed at a buddy's site in Shenandoah and he let me try his self-inflating pad, one of the thick ones with memory foam on top. I woke up feeling way better than I ever did on my air mattress, no back pain at all and I didn't slide off in the middle of the night. The real kicker was when a cold front came through at like 3am and my old setup would have had me shivering from the cold ground seeping through. That foam pad just held the warmth and I slept right through it. Now I'm looking at swapping my whole sleep system but I'm not sure if I should go all in on the thick foam pads or try one of those hybrid ones that have air and foam together. Anyone made the switch and regretted spending the money on a good pad?

2 comments

c/hard-truth-career-club•

shane_martinez44•1mo ago

I finally stopped believing that 5-10 years of experience thing after my uncle hired a 23 year old with none over me

My uncle runs a small machine shop in Des Moines. Last year I applied there after I got laid off. I had 8 years in the trade. He didn't even call me back. I found out from my cousin he hired some kid right out of community college for 6 bucks less an hour than I was asking. Said he could 'train him up fresh' for cheaper. That was the moment I realized all those years of experience on paper doesn't mean anything to an owner looking at the bottom line. Has anyone else had a boss or family member pull something like that?

2 comments

Recent Comments

16h ago

Got told my fantasy world felt like a generic medieval Europe copy

Learning a whole new economy" is exactly it, I feel like some writers focus so much on being clever with the worldbuilding they forget to make the story actually compelling (if that makes sense). Give me a good character arc in a standard castle any day over a confusing currency system I need a flowchart for.

2d ago

Took me 6 months to realize I was overcrowding the basket

Counterpoint: maybe your recipe just sucks. Too much moisture in the batter or wrong oil temp could still wreck a full basket.

3d ago

Watching a dig site collapse made me rethink my whole approach to trench safety

Used to skip shoring too. One close call changed that fast.

3d ago

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

That OCD completionist trap is real. Reading some random 1973 issue where Spider-Man fights a guy with a giant magnet is not gonna make you a better fan. Jumping into JMS run or something like Spider-Man Blue actually lets you enjoy the character. Ultimate Spider-Man Bendis run is the best starting point period. Ditch the homework mentality and just read good books.

3d ago

Can we talk about that time I tried growing tomatoes in a plastic shed

Yeah actually the fabric pots thing is spot on but I gotta push back a little on the drip irrigation keeping leaves dry. I run drip tape myself and yeah the water goes right to the soil but in those little plastic greenhouses the humidity from the soil evaporating still gets all over the leaves anyway. You'd need a dehumidifier in there or way more venting to really keep them dry. Cutting slits is smart though, I did the same thing and it helped a ton with the temp swings. Did you notice any issues with pests getting in through those slits?