Eva Cooper (u/evac72)

Posts

evac72•18h ago

Question about using a shackle as a counterweight on a city job

Overheard a guy at the union hall say he uses a spare shackle to balance his picks on tight jobsites downtown, but my old boss told me that's a huge no-no with OSHA. Which side is right for a 3-ton tower crane in a tight spot, or is there a better trick I'm missing?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

evac72•5d ago

Caught myself butterflying corners on a retaining wall job near Asheville last week

I kept cutting my corner bricks at a 45 like everyone does, but the guy I was working with showed me that for hardscape walls over 3 feet tall, you actually want a 22.5 degree miter on the tops to stop the caps from sliding off over time, and now I'm wondering why nobody taught me this in 8 years of laying block - has anyone else run into this on taller walls?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

evac72•5d ago

Found an old client card that showed how much prices have really changed

I was cleaning out my salon desk last week and came across a client card from 1994. A perm back then was $45. A haircut was $12. I remember thinking that was expensive at the time. Now a basic cut runs $50 easy and a perm is pushing $150 in my area near Portland. I checked online and inflation calculators say those old prices would be about double now, but even that doesn't match up with what we charge today. Makes me wonder what our clients think when they see the price list compared to what they paid twenty years ago. Does anyone else keep old price lists or records that show how things have shifted?

2 comments

c/backyard-birdwatchers•

evac72•6d ago

That neighbor who told me to stop cleaning my feeder was right

My neighbor Carol kept telling me to stop scrubbing my tube feeder with soap and water every week. She said it was scaring off the finches because the smell lingers. I ignored her for 2 months until I noticed I went from 15 goldfinches to maybe 2. Finally I just rinsed with hot water and let it air dry, no soap. Now I'm back up to a dozen birds in 3 days. Anyone else had a feeder that got too clean and lost birds?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

evac72•7d ago

Butter vs shortening in pie crust - which do you swear by?

I've been making pies for 40 years and I'm still going back and forth. My mom always used shortening for flaky crusts, but last Thanksgiving I tried an all-butter recipe from a friend in Ohio. The flavor was amazing but the crust didn't hold together as well when I sliced it. Has anyone else found a happy medium or are you firmly on one side of this debate?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

evac72•10d ago

That $30 eco-friendly laundry kit was a total dud

I bought one of those plastic-free laundry sheets from a shop in Portland, supposed to save water and energy. Spent $30 on a three-month supply, but after two washes, my clothes came out smelling like wet cardboard and the sheets just clumped up in the machine. Now I'm back to regular powder, but I feel guilty about the waste. Has anyone else tried these and found a brand that actually works?

2 comments

c/electricians•

evac72•12d ago

TIL the hard way that voltage drop on a 200 foot run is no joke

I ran a 12/2 UF cable about 200 feet out to a shed for lights and a single outlet. On paper everything looked fine, but after I hooked up a 15 amp circuit tester the voltage was reading 112 volts instead of 120. I had to go back and swap the wire out for 10/2 which cost me an extra $80 and a full afternoon. So do you usually oversize your long runs from the start or do you check voltage drop on paper first and roll the dice?

2 comments

c/climate-action•

evac72•26d ago

TIL my local creek dropped by 18 inches in just three summers since they clear cut the ridge above it.

I've got photos from 2019 showing water up to that moss line on the boulder, and last week I could walk across on dry rocks, anyone else seeing this kind of runoff shift in their area?

2 comments

c/cheap-eats-showdown•

evac72•27d ago

I don't get why everyone pushes meal prepping on Sunday as the only way to save money.

Last month I tried that whole Sunday meal prep thing after hearing it praised for years. Spent $45 on ingredients and 4 hours cooking, only to have everything taste bland by Wednesday. I'd rather just buy a $5 rotisserie chicken and some frozen vegetables on my way home each day - saves time and I waste less food. Am I missing something or does anyone else find prepping ahead just doesn't work for real life?

2 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

evac72•28d ago

The week my air fryer saved three meals in a row

Last fall I had a rough stretch where my oven broke on a Monday and I couldn't get a repair guy out until Friday. I live on the third floor of a walkup in Boston so hauling a new one up was not happening. My air fryer ended up cooking dinner Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday without a hitch. Tuesday night I even did a whole chicken in it. It came out juicy and the skin was actually crispy. Has anyone else had to rely on their air fryer as a main oven for a couple days? How did it hold up?

2 comments