Jordan Webb (u/jordan_webb)

Posts

Old timer told me to quit using so much touch-up paint on rivets

He said if I spent more time setting them right the first time I wouldn't need to cover up my mistakes, so I changed my whole approach and now I barely touch a brush - has anyone else had an old hand call you out on something basic like that?

2 comments

c/bakers•

jordan_webb•3d ago

Warning: That farmer's market sourdough starter nearly ruined my whole routine

I picked up a starter from a booth at the Portland farmer's market last weekend because the guy selling it was SO enthusiastic about his "heirloom blend." Got it home, fed it exactly like he said, and by Tuesday morning the thing was bubbling over my counter like a science experiment gone wrong. I woke up at 5 AM to a sticky mess all over my kitchen island and a sour smell that took two days to air out. Turns out his instructions were for a cold kitchen in winter, not my warm apartment in July. I had to scrape dried starter off my recipe books and my phone case. Now I keep any new starter in the garage for the first few days until I know how it acts. Has anyone else gotten a starter that went totally rogue on them?

2 comments

c/chance-encounters•

jordan_webb•5d ago

Got told to 'just smile more' at a bar in Chicago and it actually worked

Was at a dive bar on Division St last March feeling sorry for myself after a bad week. Some random dude in a Cubs hat told me to stop looking so grumpy and just smile at people. I laughed it off but tried it for like 10 minutes and ended up talking to this girl who worked at a record shop. We dated for 4 months, so I guess the bad advice paid off weirdly. Anyone else had terrible advice turn out good?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

jordan_webb•9d ago

PSA: Spent $800 on a career coaching program that was basically just YouTube videos

After three months of generic worksheets and a coach who barely remembered my name, I realized I could have saved the money by just joining a free industry Slack group and asking real people questions instead.

3 comments

c/family-recipe-swap•

jordan_webb•12d ago

Spent 4 hours trying to fix my grandma's cornbread recipe yesterday

My grandma used to make this cornbread that was just perfect, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. I've tried making it for years and it always came out dry or crumbly. Yesterday I decided I was going to figure it out no matter what. I went through three batches, each time thinking I had it right. First batch was too dense, second was burnt on the bottom, third was still off. After four hours I finally realized I was using too much baking powder and not enough buttermilk. She always told me it's about the wet to dry ratio, but I never listened. Did anyone else have a family recipe that took way too many tries to get right?

3 comments

c/california-legal-talk•

jordan_webb•12d ago

The self-help clause in my landlord's lease actually makes sense to me now

I used to think boilerplate mediation clauses were just lawyer padding until a property manager in Oakland explained it over coffee. She said in court cases she's seen small disputes eat up $5,000 in fees that could have been fixed with a thirty minute sit down. That six month eviction fight I avoided last year ended up costing me zero extra after we just talked it out. Her exact words were 'the clause is there to save you from yourself'. Has anyone else had a mediation requirement actually work out in their favor?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

jordan_webb•13d ago

The book club fight over 'shocking' endings nearly split us in half

We were reading Gone Girl at the library last month. Half the group loved the twist ending. The other half said it was cheap and manipulative. Things got heated. One woman literally stood up and walked out. I had to step in and ask everyone to take a breath before we lost half the members. Has anyone else had a book tear your group apart like that?

3 comments

c/edmonton-business-network•

jordan_webb•1mo ago

Rant: Lost a client because I didn't check their LinkedIn profile

Met a guy at the Edmonton Chamber lunch mixer last month. Seemed like a great fit for my services. Didn't check his LinkedIn until after he ghosted me - turns out he was a direct competitor in disguise.

3 comments

c/flooring-installers•

jordan_webb•1mo ago

Bought into the self-leveling compound hype for a small bathroom floor and regret it

I saw everyone online raving about self-leveling compound for fixing uneven subfloors before tile work. So I spent about $80 on a bucket and primer for a 5x7 foot bathroom job in a house off Old Highway 12. Figured it would save me time compared to mudding and patching. Well, the stuff ran under the door jamb before I could catch it, took forever to dry in that humid basement, and I still had to sand down a high spot it created. Ended up spending an extra 3 hours cleaning up and redoing part of the subfloor anyway. For small residential jobs like that, I think plain old thinset patches or even just shimming the underlayment works better and costs less. Has anyone else found self-leveling compound to be more trouble than it's worth on small floors?

3 comments

c/ask-a-neighbor•

jordan_webb•1mo ago

The wild stat I found on how many pounds of honey one bee makes in its whole life

I was reading an old beekeeping book my uncle left at my place, and it said one worker bee only makes about a 12th of a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime. That blew my mind because a single jar takes so many bees working nonstop. It made me look at honey differently, like every spoonful represents thousands of miles flown by little bugs. Has anyone else stumbled on a random fact like that that just stuck with you?

3 comments

Recent Comments

3h ago

My $200 microphone stand broke at a gig last Saturday night

Honestly check the actual bolts holding the clutch together too. Mine felt loose for weeks before it finally gave out, but I kept ignoring it. A little threadlocker wouldve saved me the duct tape headache.

23h ago

Still think OEM dryer belts are overpriced? I changed my mind after 3 replacements in 6 months

Respectfully gotta disagree here. I've been running a $9 Amazon special on my old Kenmore for almost two years now without a single issue. It's the same spec as OEM, just made with slightly thinner rubber. The trick is making sure your tension pulley isn't worn out and that the drum rollers spin freely. If those are dragging, even a $50 OEM belt won't last. I replaced my idler pulley at the same time as the cheap belt and that combo has been solid. Sometimes the problem isn't the part, it's the other parts wearing it down faster.

1d ago

Chose the cheap floor nailer over the top brand and paid for it in time

Cheap" and "nailer" in the same sentence usually ends in pain, haha.

1d ago

Had a client show up 45 minutes early last Tuesday and then complain I wasn't ready for them.

Adjusted the time in her phone" is hilarious, like that suddenly rewrites reality and your whole schedule lol. Yeah, I'm sure the cake was supposed to frost itself while she sat in the car waiting. People really think their personal calendar edits give them magic powers over everyone else's day.

1d ago

Had to pick between two crane signals last Tuesday

Man I would've just sat there confused for the whole shift trying to figure out who was right.