Drew Bennett (u/drew_bennett24)

Posts

Rode 6 miles with my brake rubbing before I realized the quick release was loose

Was out on a group ride last Saturday and felt like I was working way harder than everyone else. Kept checking tire pressure, thinking maybe I was just having a bad day. Got home and noticed my front wheel had about 3mm of play in the fork. Tightened the QR and now the bike feels like it gained 5 horsepower. Anybody else ever spend a whole ride fighting a loose wheel?

2 comments

c/bargain-board-finds•

drew_bennett24•4d ago

Scored a $5 lamp but it nearly burned my garage down

I found this vintage brass lamp at a Goodwill in Austin for five bucks, looked great on the shelf. Got it home, plugged it in, and the cord started smoking like a bad science experiment after ten minutes. Turns out the wiring was all frayed and held together with electrical tape from 1985. Anyone else buy a bargain that turned into a fire hazard?

3 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

drew_bennett24•5d ago

Coworker in Omaha told me I was using way too much flux on boards

I used to glob flux on every joint like it was free. This older tech named Rick watched me rework a power supply last month and said I was creating more problems than fixing. He showed me how just a tiny dab on the tip does the job without leaving corrosive mess everywhere. I tried his method on a dead motherboard with 20 bad caps and it actually cleaned up easier and passed test on the first try. Now I barely touch the flux bottle. Has anyone else gotten better results from cutting way back on flux usage?

2 comments

c/behind-the-daily-grind•

drew_bennett24•23d ago

Why does nobody talk about the old lady in the laundromat at 6am

I do my laundry at this spot on 3rd street every Sunday morning, and there's this one woman in her 70s who's always there folding sheets with perfect corners. Last week she told me she's been doing laundry for her grandkids since her daughter passed away 4 years ago. She showed me how she folds a fitted sheet in under 10 seconds flat, no wrinkles. Has anyone else met someone in a routine spot that just sticks with you like that?

3 comments

c/bargain-board-finds•

drew_bennett24•23d ago

PSA: Stop checking the price tag at thrift stores before you look at the item closely

I grabbed a "vintage" lamp for $8 at a Salvation Army in Austin last Saturday, only to find the cord was completely chewed through and the socket was cracked when I got home. How do you guys spot damage on stuff that's buried under piles before you check out?

3 comments

c/chefs•

drew_bennett24•28d ago

Hit 200 covers solo last Friday and it caught me off guard

We had a server call out sick and I ended up working the line by myself for dinner rush. I've done 150 before but 200 felt like a different beast. By the time we closed my right arm was shaking from all the plating. Has anyone else hit a new personal record on a rough shift and just stood there in shock after?

3 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

drew_bennett24•1mo ago

Overheard someone say digital art is "cheating" at a gallery opening

I was at this small gallery show in Austin last Friday, and this older guy was telling his friend that using a tablet and stylus isn't "real art" because you can undo mistakes. It took everything in me not to jump in and say I spent 8 hours rendering lighting on a single character last week that I could have painted faster with oils. Has anyone else run into this weird gatekeeping when showing digital pieces next to traditional work?

3 comments

c/arborists•

drew_bennett24•1mo ago

That live oak I tried to climb nearly took me out last winter

I was in Austin working a big live oak removal after a storm and thought I had my rope set solid. Got maybe 15 feet up and a big branch I didn't see shifted under my weight, dropped me straight onto my harness. Had to rappel down and reset with a different anchor point, took an extra hour. Anyone else had a climb where the tree tricked you like that?

3 comments

c/forgotten-bookmarks•

drew_bennett24•1mo ago

Used to roll my eyes at people saving old receipts in library books

Then I found a 1987 gas station receipt for 89 cents a gallon tucked in a copy of The Great Gatsby and suddenly I got why someone kept it - what's the oldest bookmark you've pulled out of a secondhand book?

3 comments

c/bakers•

drew_bennett24•1mo ago

Had to pick between butter and shortening for my pie crust...

I was making apple pies for a bake sale last weekend and couldn't decide which fat to use. Butter gives that flaky flavor but shortening keeps the shape better... I went with half and half after reading some blog post. The crust came out decent but the bottom was a little soggy. Has anyone found a solid ratio that works every time?

3 comments