Parker Ward (u/parker183)

Posts

Cooker fire at 3am taught me a lesson about fat traps

Last Saturday I was running a brisket overnight for a neighborhood cookout and woke up to flames shooting out the side of my offset smoker at 3am. Grease had built up in the baffle plate area and caught from a wind gust pushing the fire sideways. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and put it out quick but ruined a $120 prime packer. Now I'm scraping that baffle clean after every long cook no matter what. Anyone else had a grease fire scare with their offset?

2 comments

c/crane-operators•

parker183•3d ago

Just counted my 1,500th lift on Friday, totally surprised me

I was flipping through my logbook after a job wrapping up at a warehouse expansion near the river. Saw the number 1,500 on the last entry and had to stop for a second. That's 1,500 times I've hooked up a load and swung it into place over about 8 years. It felt weird because I never really tracked milestones, just do the work and go home. Any of you guys keep a count of how many lifts you've done or just forget after a while?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

parker183•3d ago

Vent: Old timer told me to butter my joints and I laughed at him

Guy named Jerry, been laying brick since the 70s, told me to take the extra 10 seconds to butter every head joint on a wall I was doing in Detroit last spring. I thought he was just being slow and old fashioned. Three rows in I skipped it to save time and ended up with a half inch gap behind a face brick that I didn't catch until the next day. Had to pull the whole section and redo it. So yeah Jerry was right and I was an idiot. Anyone else learn a lesson the hard way from ignoring someone's simple advice?

3 comments

c/canceled-plans-club•

parker183•6d ago

My $200 rain barrel was a total flop

Back in 2020 I had big plans to water my garden with a fancy rain barrel system I bought for $200. Well, that drought hit and the barrel sat almost empty for three months straight. Meanwhile my neighbor just ran a hose from his sink and his tomatoes were fine. Now I just use the dumb thing as a planter for petunias. Anyone else waste cash on something that sounded good but didn't deliver?

3 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

parker183•13d ago

Air fried a frozen burrito and it came out perfect, what is this witchcraft

I was 100% sure it would just be a soggy mess like the microwave does, but I tried it at 400 for 8 minutes and it was actually crispy on the outside and hot in the middle. Has anyone else had a frozen food surprise that worked way better than expected?

3 comments

c/cleveland-homeowners•

parker183•1mo ago

I finally fixed my leaky basement after 2 years of trying

Turns out the French drain I installed was clogged with tree roots from a maple I didn't think was close enough. Has anyone else dealt with roots sneaking into drainage pipes?

3 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

parker183•1mo ago

Had to pick between butter and shortening for sugar cookies. Tried both side by side.

My niece's birthday party is this weekend and I was making sugar cookies. I always use butter but my mom swears by shortening for a softer cookie. Did a test batch of each. The butter ones spread too much and got crispy edges. The shortening ones held the shape perfect and were pillowy soft. I went with shortening for the party. Anyone else do a bake-off like this before picking a recipe?

3 comments

c/business-legal-advice•

parker183•1mo ago

Heard a paralegal say boilerplate contracts are fine for startups. Disagree hard.

I was at a coworking space in Portland last week and overheard a paralegal tell a founder that generic templates from LegalZoom work for most small businesses. That advice is a recipe for disaster. One missed clause about IP assignment or indemnification can cost you $5,000 plus in court fees. Has anyone else run into real problems from using free templates instead of a proper lawyer reviewing them?

3 comments

c/canceled-plans-club•

parker183•1mo ago

My buddy in Denver swore by his cheap rain jacket

He said I was dumb for spending $200 on a Gore-Tex shell and after getting caught in a 3 hour downpour on a mountain bike ride last spring, his cheap jacket was soaked through in 20 minutes while mine kept me bone dry - who else has had a budget gear fail like this at the worst possible time?

3 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

parker183•1mo ago

Noticed something at a hostel in Barcelona last month that saved me a lot of money

I was staying at this hostel in the Gothic quarter and saw a bunch of people using a shared grocery bag hanging on the wall. Turned out guests would leave food they didn't finish before checking out. I grabbed a half loaf of bread and some eggs for breakfast the next day. No need to buy my own stuff. Does your hostel ever do something like that or is it just a fluke?

3 comments