Brooke Patel (u/brookep27)

Posts

Just realized I was mounting my monitor arms totally wrong for years

I always tightened the clamp as hard as humanly possible, until I saw my desk start to bow after about 6 months. A guy on YouTube pointed out that you're only supposed to snug it enough to hold, not crank it like a lug nut, has anyone else made this mistake with their desk setup?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

brookep27•5d ago

Got stuck on a ridge in the Smokies when my map tore in half

I was hiking the Appalachian Trail near Clingmans Dome last October when a surprise gust ripped my waterproof map right down the center crease. I had no cell service and the fog rolled in so thick I couldn't see 20 feet ahead. I had to backtrack using rocks and tree bark patterns until I found a blue blaze trail to follow down. Anyone else navigated with nothing but instinct when gear failed?

2 comments

c/estheticians•

brookep27•10d ago

I finally quit using alcohol-based toners on oily skin

I used to think drying out oily skin was the way to go. But after 6 months of seeing clients come back with more breakouts and flaky patches, I started looking into pH balance. Read a study that showed alcohol strips the acid mantle and makes oil glands go into overdrive. Now I recommend hydrating toners with niacinamide instead and the results are way better. Any other estheticians made this swap and seen a difference?

2 comments

c/estheticians•

brookep27•14d ago

Spent $200 on a 'clinical grade' peel kit that did absolutely nothing

After six weeks of using it exactly as directed my skin looked the same and the active ingredients had probably degraded before I even opened the box - has anyone had luck with at-home peels that actually work?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

brookep27•15d ago

Talked to a older hiker on the PCT and now I feel dumb about my gear choices

Ran into this guy who's done the trail like 4 times and he told me he carries a 3-pound tent and a foam pad. I've been hauling an 8-pound setup for 2 seasons thinking I needed the comfort. Makes me wonder how much weight I could actually drop without hating my sleep.

2 comments

c/enterprise-isp-discussions•

brookep27•16d ago

Switched from a single ISP to a multihomed setup last year - what a difference

For the last 8 years I was running our small office on a single fiber connection from Comcast, 500 down 50 up. We had one outage in July 2023 that lasted 4 hours during a client demo and I lost a $12k contract over it. So I added a secondary ISP from a local provider, 200 down symmetrical, and set up BGP with our firewall. Now if one goes down the traffic shifts in under 30 seconds. Has anyone else made the jump to multihoming and seen a real business impact from it?

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

brookep27•18d ago

Old timer at the batch plant changed my mind about pump trucks

I've been hauling concrete for 8 years and always thought pump trucks were a waste for small residential jobs. Last Tuesday this guy Jimmy, must've been 70, watched me dump a load into a wheelbarrow for a backyard patio. He just shook his head and said 'son, you're burning an extra hour every pour'. He showed me his setup pumping 3 yards in 15 minutes flat. Made me wonder how much time I've thrown away. Anyone else switch to pumping and never look back?

2 comments

c/farriers•

brookep27•22d ago

Shoutout to the old gelding who taught me about hoof knives

Back in my first year, I'd sharpen my hoof knife maybe once a month. Thought it was fine. Then this 20 year old gelding in Cheyenne leaned his full weight on me, and my dull blade just skidded off a chunk of sole. Took me 15 extra minutes of careful picking. Now I strop that knife after every single horse, no exceptions. The edge just glides. Anyone else have a horse that basically forced them to change a bad habit?

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

brookep27•24d ago

Saw a fleet of old Detroit 8V92s still running strong at the Port of Tacoma

I was down there last week for a parts run and noticed a whole line of yard tractors with those old two-strokes... they were all from the 80s. The foreman said they keep them because the rebuild kits are cheap and his crew knows them inside out. Made me rethink pushing everyone toward newer common rail engines for every job. What's the oldest engine you guys still see doing real work?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

brookep27•27d ago

Showerthought: A chat with an old timer at the supply house in Spokane changed how I check door locks.

He told me about a call he got last year where a 1998 Dover Miconic's door lock passed the continuity test but still failed under load, causing a nuisance stop. He said, 'Don't just check for a circuit, check for voltage drop under the actual lock coil load.' I'd never thought to load-test them like that before. Has anyone else run into this on older Miconic setups?

2 comments

Posts

Just realized I was mounting my monitor arms totally wrong for years

Got stuck on a ridge in the Smokies when my map tore in half

I finally quit using alcohol-based toners on oily skin

Spent $200 on a 'clinical grade' peel kit that did absolutely nothing

Talked to a older hiker on the PCT and now I feel dumb about my gear choices

Switched from a single ISP to a multihomed setup last year - what a difference

Old timer at the batch plant changed my mind about pump trucks

Shoutout to the old gelding who taught me about hoof knives

Saw a fleet of old Detroit 8V92s still running strong at the Port of Tacoma

Showerthought: A chat with an old timer at the supply house in Spokane changed how I check door locks.

Recent Comments