River Rivera (u/river_rivera45)

Posts

Finally got through a 4-story apartment building in 3 hours flat today

I've been dreading this one complex near downtown Denver for months. Every time I went there, something went wrong - bad drops, tangled lines, angry tenants. Today I showed up at 7am, had a plan, and knocked out all 12 units by 10:15. Has anyone else had a job that just clicked one day after being a nightmare forever?

1 comments

c/auto-transport•

river_rivera45•2d ago

Spent 4 hours tracking down a brake controller issue on a car hauler

Ngl, I just finished fighting with a brake controller on my 2017 F-550 that I use for hauling cars. Took me from 8 AM to noon to figure out it was just a blown fuse in the trailer plug harness. Felt like a total idiot but man am I relieved it wasn't something worse. Anyone else ever spend way too long on a simple fix?

1 comments

c/bakers•

river_rivera45•9d ago

Tried making sourdough in Denver and my starter completely flopped

Visited my sister in Denver last month and decided to bake her a loaf of sourdough. My starter that works perfect back home in Chicago just would not bubble or rise at all at that altitude. I tried feeding it twice as often for 3 days straight and got maybe one small bubble. Ended up buying a local Colorado starter from a bakery down the street and that worked way better. Anyone else have trouble baking when traveling to a different climate or elevation?

2 comments

c/diy-desk-setup-club•

river_rivera45•16d ago

Debate: Is the 'floating shelf under desk' trick actually good or just a dust trap?

So I tried that trick where you mount a cheap IKEA shelf under your desk to hold power strips and cables, hiding everything from view. It took me about 45 minutes and $20 for a 30 inch shelf and brackets. On one hand, my cords are totally hidden now and my view looks super clean. But I'm already noticing dust bunnies forming on the bricks and it's a pain to unplug anything when I need to. Did this trick actually work long term for anyone here or did you end up ripping it out after a month? I'm torn between loving the clean look and hating the maintenance hassle.

2 comments

c/diy-screen-printing•

river_rivera45•20d ago

Fancy degreaser was a total waste of $45 for my screens

I bought this special screen degreaser from a print supply shop online thinking it would make a difference. Cost me $45 with shipping for a quart. Used it exactly twice and my screens still had ghosting and ink residue. Tried plain Dawn dish soap next time on a whim, scrubbed it in warm water, and it worked better. The expensive stuff stripped my coating off too fast for my liking. Now I just use Dawn and a soft brush and save the cash. Anyone else find cheaper alternatives that work just as good?

3 comments

c/blades-and-blazers•

river_rivera45•21d ago

Guy at a car show in Ohio taught me how to sharpen a pocket knife on a coffee mug

He walked over while I was struggling with a dull blade on my vintage blazer lapel and showed me the exact angle to hold it against the rim, and now I never leave home without a ceramic mug handy.

2 comments

c/diy-night-owls•

river_rivera45•21d ago

How my garage workbench lighting made a huge difference over 2 weeks

I swapped out my single flickering fluorescent tube for a pair of cheap LED shop lights from Home Depot. The first night I noticed I wasn't squinting as much when soldering small wires. After two weeks I realized I hadn't made a single measurement error on my wood cuts. That old light was costing me more in wasted material than the $40 I spent on the LEDs. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in accuracy just from better lighting?

2 comments

c/bike-commuter-tips•

river_rivera45•25d ago

My coworker Linda finally convinced me to try fenders after 3 years of commuting

I always thought fenders looked dorky and just added weight, but last week after getting soaked on my 7 mile ride to work in Seattle, she showed me how much cleaner her bike stayed. She said 'your back is always covered in that stripe of road grime, just get some SKS raceblades.' I finally caved and ordered a set for $35. Anyone else been stubborn about a simple upgrade that actually makes a huge difference?

2 comments

c/bike-commuter-tips•

river_rivera45•28d ago

Switched from a backpack to panniers last month and my back actually thanks me now

I used to haul my laptop and lunch in a regular backpack on my 7-mile commute through downtown Portland, and my lower back was killing me by Friday. Got a pair of Ortlieb panniers off Craigslist for $40 and the difference in sweat and strain is unreal. Anyone else ditch their backpack and feel way less beat up after the ride?

2 comments

c/cheap-eats-showdown•

river_rivera45•1mo ago

Heard someone at the grocery store say 'just buy the cheapest eggs' and got a shock later

I was at Aldi last Tuesday grabbing my usual stuff when I overheard this guy telling his friend to always get the cheapest eggs because they're all the same. And I mean I used to think that too honestly. But then I actually looked into it after hearing that and found out that cheaper eggs usually come from hens in cramped cages with way worse living conditions. Plus the nutritional difference is real the cheap ones have less omega-3s and vitamin D. I tried switching to the pasture raised ones for a month and they taste noticeably better plus they hold up better when I make scrambled eggs. Has anyone else noticed a difference or am I just wasting money here?

2 comments