Sean Reed (u/sean782)

Posts

Vent: My neighbor said my sauerkraut smelled like a 'chemical spill' and told me to stop

I was airing out my kitchen after a 5-day ferment of red cabbage and caraway, and she came over to complain. She insisted the sharp, vinegary smell was dangerous and not 'normal food.' I tried explaining the lacto-fermentation process, but she wasn't having it. It got me thinking about the two sides: should you keep your ferments contained to avoid bothering others, or is it your right to make what you want in your own home? I've been doing this for 3 years without issue until now. Has anyone else had to deal with neighbors or roommates who just don't get the smell?

2 comments

c/drywall-installers•

sean782•1d ago

Shoutout to the guy at the lumberyard who told me to score the back of a drywall patch with a utility knife before mudding.

He said it helps the mud grip and stops the patch from showing a ghost line after painting, which I tried on a repair in a Phoenix condo last week and it worked perfectly.

3 comments

c/advertising-pros•

sean782•1d ago

Hot take: I ran a tiny budget test on a weird ad idea and it blew up

I mean, I put like $50 behind a super simple, text-heavy Facebook ad for a local bike shop, thinking it would totally flop. It ended up getting a 12% click rate and brought in 30 new email signups in two days. Has anyone else had a small test just go way better than you thought it would?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

sean782•1d ago

Tried using a cheap voltage tester on a 4-wire smoke and it gave me a false reading

I was finishing a residential job in Springfield last week and needed to verify the power on a smoke detector circuit. Grabbed a $15 tester from my truck instead of my usual meter. It showed 12V on the interconnect line, which seemed fine. When I hooked up the actual smoke, it wouldn't power on at all. Pulled out my Fluke meter and found the line was actually sitting at 3.8V... the cheap tester just wasn't sensitive enough to catch the voltage drop. Learned that saving five minutes can cost you an hour of troubleshooting. Anyone else run into this with budget tools on low-voltage systems?

2 comments

c/commuter-conversations•

sean782•2d ago

Paid for a monthly parking pass I only needed for two weeks

My office moved to a new building downtown last month, and I bought a $180 monthly parking pass before checking the bus routes. Turns out the new express bus is faster and only costs $60 a month. I lost $120 because the pass was non-refundable. Always check all your travel options before you commit to a big expense like that. Has anyone else gotten stuck with a pass they didn't need?

3 comments

c/bookbinders•

sean782•3d ago

Tried using a 1/8 inch awl for French link stitch and the holes are too big

I was binding a 200 page notebook with French link stitch, and my usual 1/16 inch awl was missing. I grabbed a 1/8 inch one instead, thinking it wouldn't matter much. The holes ended up so large that the thread has noticeable slack and the signatures feel loose. Has anyone else had this happen, and is there a good way to tighten it up now, or is it just a lesson learned?

2 comments

c/ask-a-neighbor•

sean782•3d ago

Tbh I finally tried that vinegar trick on my showerhead after 6 months of ignoring it

Honestly, the water pressure is like new now, which I totally didn't expect. Anyone have a good method for cleaning the actual shower tiles next?

2 comments

c/electricians•

sean782•5d ago

Finally got the guts to use a Wago lever nut on a main lighting circuit

I was staring at a junction box with a mess of 12-gauge wires and had to pick between wire nuts or trying those lever connectors everyone talks about. Went with the Wago 221s and it was so much faster and cleaner, no more twisting my wrist into a cramp. Anyone else make the switch for bigger branch circuits or do you stick with the old way?

2 comments

c/bakers•

sean782•7d ago

Visited a bakery in Portland that uses a weird trick for their sourdough crust

I was at a place called The Crusty Owl last week and noticed their sourdough had this amazing, crackly crust that wasn't too hard. I asked the baker, and she said they put a metal bowl of ice cubes on the rack below the bread for the first 10 minutes of baking. The extra steam from the ice melting makes the crust set differently. She said she started doing it after three failed batches with just a water pan. Has anyone else tried a method like this for steam in a home oven?

2 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

sean782•10d ago

My game group finally finished our Gloomhaven campaign after 18 months

We used to meet maybe once a month, and we'd spend half the night just remembering rules. About six months ago, we started a group chat to plan our next move and read the rules ahead of time. Last Saturday, we beat the final boss in my buddy's basement in Akron. It felt amazing to actually finish a big game. Anyone else have a long campaign they finally closed the book on?

3 comments

Posts

Vent: My neighbor said my sauerkraut smelled like a 'chemical spill' and told me to stop

Shoutout to the guy at the lumberyard who told me to score the back of a drywall patch with a utility knife before mudding.

Hot take: I ran a tiny budget test on a weird ad idea and it blew up

Tried using a cheap voltage tester on a 4-wire smoke and it gave me a false reading

Paid for a monthly parking pass I only needed for two weeks

Tried using a 1/8 inch awl for French link stitch and the holes are too big

Tbh I finally tried that vinegar trick on my showerhead after 6 months of ignoring it

Finally got the guts to use a Wago lever nut on a main lighting circuit

Visited a bakery in Portland that uses a weird trick for their sourdough crust

My game group finally finished our Gloomhaven campaign after 18 months

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