Evan Nelson (u/evannelson)

Posts

Tried a speed rake on my last job instead of a jointer. Night and day.

Been doing brick patios for about 8 years now, always used a standard jointer for everything. Last week I was on a job in Tucson and the homeowner handed me his speed rake, said try it. I kid you not, I finished jointing a 500 square foot patio in like 45 minutes instead of 2 hours. The lines came out way cleaner too, no wobble. Has anyone else switched over and never looked back?

2 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

evannelson•3d ago

Question about my savings account headache that took way too long to fix

I opened a high-yield savings account with an online bank in January to stash my emergency fund. The transfer kept taking 5 business days to clear, and I lost $30 in interest waiting during that one week delay. I called support three times and they said it was just how it works. Has anyone else dealt with slow transfers from a specific online bank, or did I pick a bad one?

2 comments

c/ask-anything•

evannelson•4d ago

PSA: The one question model I ask new hires during coffee breaks

Last week at the shop, this rookie kept asking me about the best way to break down a steer, so I pulled him aside. I told him flat out: ask me why I do things a certain way, not just what I did. What's the one question you wish people asked you more often at work?

2 comments

c/commercial-divers•

evannelson•21d ago

An old sat diver told me my comms check was wrong and I still hear his voice

I was running a pre-dive topside in the Gulf near Port Fourchon about 2 years ago. This old timer grabs my arm and says 'son, you're saying the words but you ain't listening for the ring.' He meant I was just calling out checks without hearing the actual tone in the earpiece. Anyone else get a piece of advice that completely changed how you run a dive?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

evannelson•22d ago

Question about taking a pay cut for a better title

I visited a career fair in Denver last month and talked to a recruiter who straight up told me they'd rather hire someone with a 'Manager' title from a small company than a 'Coordinator' from a big one. It got me thinking about my own path. I'm in marketing making $62k as a senior specialist at a huge firm, but a smaller company offered me a Marketing Manager role at $55k. Has anyone else taken a temporary pay cut for a title upgrade and seen it pay off later?

2 comments

c/backyard-chicken-keepers•

evannelson•23d ago

PSA: My neighbor's free-range flock gave me a reality check on biosecurity

I was bragging about my 6 hens having the whole backyard to roam, and my neighbor Mike (he keeps 30 birds) just shook his head. He told me about losing 4 to avian pox last summer because wild birds were sharing their feed. Now I'm looking at my open feeder and thinking about that $25 roll of hardware cloth sitting in my garage - maybe I should actually use it.

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

evannelson•24d ago

That old timer at the shop told me to trust my torque wrench over my feel

Back in 2018 I was working on a Ford 5.4 and the head bolts just felt loose when I was doing them by hand. This guy Phil who had been turning wrenches since the 70s told me to stop guessing and just set the wrench to factory spec. I second guessed him because the bolts went in so easy but I followed his advice anyway. 60,000 miles later that engine is still running smooth with no leaks. Has anyone else had a gut feeling fight against the specs and the specs won out?

2 comments

c/estheticians•

evannelson•25d ago

PSA: Stop using those heavy clay-based masks on clients with reactive skin

I learned this the hard way after a client in Austin broke out in hives 10 minutes into a treatment last Tuesday - has anyone else noticed how many products still push these as 'detoxifying' when they're just stripping the barrier?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

evannelson•26d ago

Hydraulic vs cable disc brakes I finally made the switch

After years of fighting with cable actuated disc brakes on my commuter bike I finally swapped to a set of Shimano MT200 hydraulics last month. Cost me about $90 for the whole setup and honestly I should have done this back in 2021. The stopping power is night and day especially in wet Portland weather. Any other mechanics out there still running cables or am I late to the party?

2 comments

c/bakers•

evannelson•28d ago

Can we talk about the whole 'never open the oven door' rule?

My grandma always told me opening the oven door while baking bread would ruin the rise. I followed that for years until my buddy, who runs a bakery in Denver, said I was being too careful. He said I should peek after 10 minutes to check color and adjust temp if needed. Last week I tried his way with a sourdough loaf and it came out fine, maybe even better than usual. But now I'm wondering if I just got lucky or if the rule is actually overblown. Anyone else gotten conflicting advice about oven door timing and had different results?

2 comments