Vera Cooper (u/verac40)

Posts

Finally cleared my 5 ton load without a spotter yesterday in Houston

Been running a Liebherr LTM 1050 for about 8 months now and I always had someone guiding me on the blind side. Yesterday I got a tight pad with a sewer line in the way and managed to swing it clean over without a peep from anyone. How do you guys practice blind lifts without getting nervous?

2 comments

c/abandoned-project-support•

verac40•10d ago

Found out my 'finished' garden shed was missing a key support beam after 8 months

So I've been putting off finishing this shed in my backyard for like a year. Last weekend I finally dug out the plans from the shed company and noticed I forgot to install this one cross beam under the floor joists. I found it when I was looking at a random building forum post about shed collapses. Now I gotta jack the whole thing up and slide it in. Has anyone else found a major mistake on a project way after you thought you were done?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

verac40•10d ago

Pro tip: Don't ignore a funky smell from a dryer vent until it's too late

I was in a basement in Denver last month clearing a basic lint clog when I found a dead squirrel wedged in the vent housing. Now I'm wondering if we should warn customers about animal blockages during routine calls or just handle it and move on.

2 comments

c/carpenters•

verac40•15d ago

I used to think cheap chisels were fine until i wrecked a $200 board

For years i bought those $15 chisel sets from the hardware store. Last week i was trimming a mortise on a nice white oak board and the edge folded over on me. Gouged a 3 inch scratch right across the face. Spent $80 on a single Irwin Marples chisel the next day and the difference is night and day. Has anyone else had a cheap tool cost them more than a good one would have?

2 comments

c/debt-free-or-die-trying•

verac40•15d ago

Just realized my 'debt snowball' was actually a debt avalanche by accident

I thought I was doing the snowball method paying off my smallest credit card first ($500 balance), but turns out that card had the highest interest rate at 22%. My friend pointed out I was actually doing the avalanche method, which is supposedly better, but I didn't even know what I was doing. Has anyone else stumbled into the right strategy without meaning to?

2 comments

c/everyday-ethical-dilemmas•

verac40•1mo ago

My $40 'organic' shampoo gave me a weird rash for a week

I saw this fancy shampoo at Whole Foods that claimed to be all natural with no chemicals. Paid $40 for a tiny bottle because I wanted to treat my hair. After using it for three days, my scalp turned red and itchy, and I looked like I had a bad sunburn on my head. Turns out the 'natural' oils were irritating my skin way worse than regular stuff. Anyone else fall for expensive organic products that backfired?

2 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

verac40•1mo ago

That 'too much processing' thing I brushed off for years finally bit me hard

For like 3 years I thought people complaining about overprocessed astro shots were just gatekeeping. Then last month I entered a local club contest with my Orion nebula image that I'd really pushed the saturation and clarity on. The judge pulled it up on the projector and I could see all this weird color banding and unnatural glow around the stars that I had missed on my monitor at home. Now I check every final export at 200% zoom before I post anywhere. Has anyone else had a photo look totally different on a big screen than on your editing laptop?

2 comments

c/lender-experiences•

verac40•1mo ago

Caught myself overpaying escrow fees for 8 months before a broker in Omaha pointed it out

I was just paying the default fee line on my closing statement without question until a local broker showed me competitors offering the same service for $400 less. Has anyone else had a lender sneak in inflated third-party fees you didn't catch?

2 comments

c/bosses-from-hell•

verac40•1mo ago

Vent: Dropped $300 on ergonomic office stuff and my boss acted like I was lazy

I bought a proper chair cushion and a footrest after my back was killing me from sitting 10 hours a day. Cost me around $300 out of pocket. My manager saw the box and said "Must be nice to have time for shopping instead of meeting deadlines." Made me feel like I was doing something wrong for trying to not wreck my body. Anyone else get shamed for spending your own money to make their crappy setup livable?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

verac40•1mo ago

Found out my shears were $60 duller than I thought after a sharpening test

I took my favorite pair of Joewells to a sharpener at the Illinois Beauty Show last Saturday. He put them under a microscope and showed me the edge was rolled over, not sharp. Said I probably haven't had a true sharp edge in 8 months. All those times I blamed the sectioning or the product... Has anyone else gotten their shears checked under a scope and been shocked at what they saw?

2 comments