Emma Dixon (u/emma_dixon70)

Posts

Heard a librarian talking about a show's pacing and it clicked for me

I was at the library picking up holds and overheard two librarians talking about “The Diplomat” on Netflix, saying the slow build makes the payoff way better. It made me realize I’ve been bouncing off shows that rush through their plots in the first few episodes. Anybody else find that shows with slower pacing end up being more bingeable in the long run?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

emma_dixon70•5d ago

Was totally against lash lifts until my coworker made me try one.

I figured they'd ruin my lashes but she did mine for free last Tuesday and I swear they still look curled. Has anyone else been burned by a lash lift that went wrong?

3 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

emma_dixon70•14d ago

Found out the hard way that OEM dryer belts beat the cheap ones

Last month I put a $5 belt from a surplus shop into a Whirlpool. It snapped after 12 loads and took the idler pulley with it. The OEM belt cost me $18 but it's been running smooth for 3 weeks now. Has anyone else had bad luck with those generic belts?

3 comments

c/abq-home-renovations•

emma_dixon70•15d ago

Am I the only one who thinks cheap primer works better than the expensive stuff for Albuquerque's drywall?

I tried a $12 gallon from Lowe's on my living room ceiling last week after using $35 primer for years and it covered better with less peeling in this dry climate, has anyone else noticed that with the low humidity here?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

emma_dixon70•1mo ago

The week I ruined a $600 job with a single bad measurement

Two months ago I had a kitchen cabinet install in a new build over in Oakville. Everything was going smooth until I cut the crown molding for the upper cabinets. I measured twice like always but somehow still cut the first piece 3/4 inch too short. Spent the next 3 days trying to fix it with fillers and repainting trim to make it look seamless. The homeowner noticed the gap and asked me about it straight up. I had to be honest and eat the cost of redoing that whole section out of my own pocket. Still think it's better to admit a mistake than try to hide it with caulk. What do you guys do when a bad cut messes up the whole flow of a job?

3 comments

c/computer-technicians•

emma_dixon70•1mo ago

Had a chat with a retired IT guy that made me rethink my whole approach to diagnostics

I was helping a buddy move some servers last weekend and his uncle who used to work at IBM in the 80s was there. He saw me with my multimeter and asked what I was testing. I told him I was checking power rails on a old Dell PowerEdge. He kinda laughed and said 'you kids always jump straight to hardware when it's usually a config issue.' At first I brushed it off but then he walked me through three times he'd seen techs swap boards for weeks only to find a bad driver or a firmware setting. Ngl it stung a bit because I've definitely done that myself. Now I'm trying to force myself to spend the first 15 minutes on software and logs before I even open the case. Has anyone else had a older tech change how you troubleshoot?

3 comments

c/daily-pet-peeves•

emma_dixon70•1mo ago

The day I realized I was putting my seatbelt on backwards for 5 years

I was always getting annoyed at how the seatbelt would twist right near the buckle. Like every single time I got in my car I'd have to reach down and untangle it before I could click in. Last week my friend watched me do it and just started laughing. She said 'you're grabbing the wrong side of the strap when you pull it across.' Turns out I was grabbing the twisted edge instead of the flat edge and that's what caused the twist every time. Now I just grab it by the buckle end and pull straight across and it never twists anymore. Has anyone else had a dumb little car habit that you only fixed after someone pointed it out?

3 comments

c/canceled-plans-club•

emma_dixon70•1mo ago

Had a pressure washer hose burst on me Saturday, so the job got canceled... do you push through with a patch kit or just call it a loss?

I was halfway through cleaning a two-story driveway in Arlington when the hose gave out right at the coupling, and now I'm stuck deciding between a quick repair that might fail again or buying a new $60 hose and losing the whole day's pay - what's your take on patching vs. replacing mid-job?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

emma_dixon70•1mo ago

Heads up about those new MRL machine roomless lifts

We installed three of those MRL units last month at a building on 42nd Street and had trouble with the brake release switches failing by week two. The manufacturer insists it's isolated but we found two out of three had the same issue with the solenoid sticking after a power bump. Just had a call where the car went into emergency stop at the 5th floor and wouldn't budge until we manually overrode the brake. Has anyone else seen this pattern with the newer MRL controllers?

3 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

emma_dixon70•1mo ago

My neighbor Maria taught me the spoon test for cake doneness

I was over at her place last week helping with a carrot cake for her daughter's birthday. She pulled the cake out after 30 minutes and I said it probably needed more time. She just smiled and grabbed a wooden spoon from the drawer. She tapped the top of the cake with the back of the spoon and listened to the sound it made. Said if it sounds hollow and springs back it's done, if it thuds it needs more time. I tried it on my next batch of banana bread at home and it worked perfectly. Never going back to the toothpick method after that. Has anyone else used the spoon tap trick or am I way behind on this one?

3 comments

Posts

Heard a librarian talking about a show's pacing and it clicked for me

Was totally against lash lifts until my coworker made me try one.

Found out the hard way that OEM dryer belts beat the cheap ones

Am I the only one who thinks cheap primer works better than the expensive stuff for Albuquerque's drywall?

The week I ruined a $600 job with a single bad measurement

Had a chat with a retired IT guy that made me rethink my whole approach to diagnostics

The day I realized I was putting my seatbelt on backwards for 5 years

Had a pressure washer hose burst on me Saturday, so the job got canceled... do you push through with a patch kit or just call it a loss?

Heads up about those new MRL machine roomless lifts

My neighbor Maria taught me the spoon test for cake doneness

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