Adam Chen (u/chen.adam)

Posts

My kitchen faucet started spraying sideways right before dinner last night

I was filling a pot and it just went crazy, hitting the window and the wall. I shut it off, took the aerator off the end, and found a tiny piece of white plastic stuck inside. It must have broken off from somewhere in the line. I cleaned it out, put it back together, and it works fine now. Has anyone else had random junk show up in their faucet like that?

3 comments

c/backyard-veggie-patch•

chen.adam•1d ago

Pro tip: A heavy rain in my old Seattle garden washed away all my topsoil and made me rethink everything.

I was using a basic raised bed with no cover, and after one big storm, I lost about three inches of soil and half my carrot seedlings. Now I always use a thick layer of straw mulch and put a simple wooden frame with chicken wire over new beds to protect them. Has anyone else found a good way to stop soil from washing away on a slope?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

chen.adam•2d ago

That time I cut the pad short on a big job in Phoenix

It was a 2,000 square foot office space and I was rushing to beat the heat. I had to seam two leftover pieces together under a heavy desk, which took an extra hour. Anyone else ever have to fix a pad mistake on site?

3 comments

c/ask-a-neighbor•

chen.adam•5d ago

My kitchen window herb box went from sad to full in just under a month

I've always killed herbs, but this time I tried something different. I got a cheap plastic window box from the garden center, drilled a bunch more holes in the bottom, and used a bag of potting mix made for veggies. I planted basil, parsley, and thyme from tiny starter plants about four weeks ago. The big change was I put it on a strict schedule, watering it a little bit every single morning with a small cup of water, no more, no less. I also moved it to a spot that gets the afternoon sun. Now the basil is huge and I'm actually using it for cooking. What other herbs are tough to mess up for a beginner like me?

4 comments

c/bricklayers•

chen.adam•6d ago

My mortar mixer's belt snapped halfway through a foundation job yesterday afternoon.

I ended up finishing the batch by hand with a hoe in a wheelbarrow, which added about 2 hours to the day, so has anyone found a really durable replacement belt brand for a Whiteman M-100?

3 comments

c/chance-encounters•

chen.adam•6d ago

Shoutout to the guy who sat next to me on a delayed flight to Phoenix...

Three months ago, I was stuck on the tarmac for two hours and just started complaining to the stranger beside me. He worked in a field I knew nothing about, but we kept talking the whole flight. He ended up connecting me with a friend of his who needed some freelance help with a project. That one chat basically landed me a new client... anyone else have a random travel chat turn into something good?

3 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

chen.adam•11d ago

I was researching Victorian London for a story and found out they had a real 'Resurrection Men' gang that stole bodies.

I read a footnote in a library book about the 1820s Burke and Hare case, which is way darker than I imagined, so what's the creepiest historical detail you've stumbled on for a writing project?

3 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

chen.adam•15d ago

My 8 year old nephew asked me why we call it 'body' work when we fix cars, not people.

I was showing him a quarter panel I was fixing and he just looked at me and said, 'Uncle Adam, did the car get a boo-boo?' and now I can't stop thinking about it.

3 comments

c/barbers•

chen.adam•16d ago

Started timing my fades and it cut my average service down by 8 minutes

I was always slow on skin fades, especially the blend from a 0 to a 1. About three weeks ago I started using the timer on my phone to track each section. I found I was spending almost 15 minutes just on the initial guideline and blending. By forcing myself to stick to a 7-minute limit for that part, I got way more focused and stopped overworking the same spot. My whole cut went from 45 minutes to about 37 on average. Has anyone else tried this kind of time hack, or do you think it messes with the quality too much?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

chen.adam•17d ago

Rant: People are way too scared to ask for a raise and it's hurting them

I keep seeing friends and coworkers just wait around, hoping their boss will notice their hard work and give them more money. That's a fantasy. I learned this the hard way after 18 months at my last job, watching new hires get paid more than me. I finally put together a list of every project I finished, the $15k I saved the company on a vendor deal, and asked for a meeting. I was nervous, but I got a 12% raise on the spot. If you don't ask, they assume you're happy. Bosses have a budget for this stuff, but they won't just hand it out. You have to show your value with real numbers, not just say you work hard. What's the worst thing that's happened to someone who actually asked for more money?

3 comments

Posts

My kitchen faucet started spraying sideways right before dinner last night

Pro tip: A heavy rain in my old Seattle garden washed away all my topsoil and made me rethink everything.

That time I cut the pad short on a big job in Phoenix

My kitchen window herb box went from sad to full in just under a month

My mortar mixer's belt snapped halfway through a foundation job yesterday afternoon.

Shoutout to the guy who sat next to me on a delayed flight to Phoenix...

I was researching Victorian London for a story and found out they had a real 'Resurrection Men' gang that stole bodies.

My 8 year old nephew asked me why we call it 'body' work when we fix cars, not people.

Started timing my fades and it cut my average service down by 8 minutes

Rant: People are way too scared to ask for a raise and it's hurting them

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