Wendy Murray (u/wendy628)

Posts

45 horses in a single Saturday last spring broke me

I thought I was invincible after 12 years shoeing, but a barn near Lexington asked me to do a full reset day on 45 head. By horse 30 my back was screaming and I missed a clip on a front foot that cost me a call-back. Has anyone else hit a number where you realized you need to cap your daily load?

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c/cozy-desk-setup•

wendy628•7d ago

The $5 thrift store lamp vs my $60 Amazon ring light - not even close

I was trying to get that warm soft glow for my Zoom calls and desk photos, so I grabbed this old brass lamp from Goodwill last week for $5. After swapping the shade for a cream fabric one and using a 60w warm bulb, it honestly beats my harsh ring light by a mile (no weird shadows on my face). Has anyone else found a killer desk lamp for way less than you'd expect?

3 comments

c/early-morning-birds•

wendy628•7d ago

My neighbor told me to put out crushed eggshells for blue jays - ended up with a backyard circus!

Mrs. Kline from three doors down swore up and down that blue jays love crushed eggshells for calcium. I saved up shells from 2 dozen eggs and scattered them on my feeder tray at 6am last Saturday. Within 10 minutes, I had 7 blue jays fighting over them like it was a buffet, plus a squirrel that kept trying to divebomb from the fence. The racket was so loud my husband came out in his bathrobe yelling "what is happening out here!" Has anyone else tried this and ended up with a total bird wrestlemania in their yard?

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c/bullet-journaling•

wendy628•9d ago

Finally picked a simple monthly layout over my fancy spreads

I spent like three weeks going back and forth between a vertical weekly layout and a basic calendar grid for my monthly page. The vertical one looked so cool on Pinterest with all those color coded sections, but every time I tried to plan my week it felt cramped. I went with the calendar grid instead, just a plain box for each day where I write appointments and deadlines. After a month of using it I realized I actually check my journal every day now instead of ignoring it. The white space helps me focus on what matters instead of getting lost in decorations. I even stopped buying those washi tape sets because I don't need to fill empty spots anymore. Has anyone else had that moment where getting simpler actually made your bujo more useful?

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c/electronics-repairers•

wendy628•11d ago

Dropped $40 on a hot air station from Amazon and it literally smoked out my garage

I needed to swap a tiny capacitor on an old motherboard and figured I'd cheap out on a 858D style unit. First time I used it on anything other than the test setting, the thing started smelling like burnt plastic and then just died on me. Ended up paying a local guy $60 to do the repair anyway, so I basically wasted $40 on a lesson. Has anyone here had luck with the $60+ hot air stations or is it all just a gamble at that price range?

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c/blacksmiths•

wendy628•12d ago

Broke my 20 pound anvil in half during a demo last Thursday

I was at my shop in Tulsa hitting a hot billet and the anvil just cracked right down the middle. Turns out it had a hairline fracture I never noticed. Had to finish the job using a railroad track I had lying around. Anyone else ever have a tool fail on them mid-strike?

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c/cozy-desk-setup•

wendy628•17d ago

Threw $80 at a bamboo monitor stand last month and my neck finally forgave me

I was hunching over my laptop on a stack of old textbooks (you know, the real cozy look) and my shoulders were killing me every afternoon. That little riser lifted my screen maybe 4 inches but it totally changed my posture at the desk. Has anyone else had good luck with a cheap ergonomic fix that turned out way better than expected?

4 comments

c/fix-it-or-toss-it•

wendy628•1mo ago

PSA: My neighbor Art was right about replacing furnace filters every 30 days

I always thought changing filters every 30 days was a waste, so I pushed it to 90. After my energy bill hit $210 last January, Art showed me the caked up filter I pulled out after just 60 days. Turns out that $5 filter swap saves me about $40 a month on heating. Has anyone else found a big difference by sticking to the 30 day schedule?

3 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

wendy628•1mo ago

Why does nobody mention how slow Python loops actually are?

I was working on a project last night that had to iterate through 10,000 items. Took like 15 seconds to finish - I thought I had a bug or something. Did I miss the memo on optimizing loops or is this just normal for beginners?

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c/career-advice•

wendy628•1mo ago

Just realized I've been stuck in the same job title for 4 years

I looked at my resume last night and noticed I've been a 'senior analyst' since 2021 at the same company in Austin. My tasks have totally changed but nobody updated my official title. I'm thinking about asking for a promotion at my next review but I'm not sure how to bring it up. Has anyone else had to push their boss to update a title that didn't match the actual work?

3 comments