Grant Thomas (u/grantthomas)

Posts

Finally realized I was nesting my IF statements completely wrong after 3 months of broken scripts

I was writing 8 levels deep with no proper indentation and a random comment on a YouTube video about a Python tutorial in Austin made me look at my code sideways and see the mess.

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

grantthomas•2d ago

Met a guy on the JMT who swore by wool socks in summer. He was right.

Last August I ran into this older hiker near Muir Pass. He saw me changing my wet cotton socks and told me I was asking for blisters. Said wool socks can handle wet feet better and dry fast enough even in heat. I thought he was crazy but tried it. Wore the same pair of Smartwools for four days straight and my feet were way better off than before. Anyone else given up cotton socks on warm trails?

2 comments

c/credit-scores•

grantthomas•3d ago

That old credit union manager in Omaha who showed me my first credit report back in 2004

She pulled out a paper printout from a dot matrix printer, circled the one late payment on my student loan, and said in this calm voice, 'This little scar will fade faster than you think, just give it 7 years of good habits,' and I still think about her patience every time I check my score now, has anyone else had a banker or lender give them advice that actually stuck?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

grantthomas•5d ago

The week from hell with a seized guide rail on the 14th floor

Last Tuesday, I got called to a building downtown where the car was shaking like crazy on every stop. Turns out someone had dropped a chunk of concrete down the shaft and it wedged the guide rail bracket on floor 14. Took me and my partner three full days to chip it out and realign the rail because the bolts were rusted solid. Anyone else ever deal with debris getting dumped in the hoistway by careless construction crews?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

grantthomas•5d ago

My mortar mix kept cracking until I changed one thing

Last month I was doing a small retaining wall in my backyard and the mortar kept cracking after three days. I was using the same mix I always use but the weather was hotter than usual. A guy at the supply yard told me to wet the bricks before laying them in summer heat. I tried it on the next section and not a single crack formed after a week. Has anyone else run into this with high temps or is it just me?

2 comments

c/barbers•

grantthomas•7d ago

Spent 6 months struggling with fade lines before I caught my mistake, it was the angle of my wrist the whole time.

Was at a barber battle demo in Portland last spring when a guy I respected pointed out my wrist was tilted too far forward letting the blade dig in uneven, has anyone else had a simple posture fix change their whole game?

3 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

grantthomas•7d ago

Warning: thought I could fix a Bosch dishwasher drain pump with a $18 part from Amazon

I gambled $18 on a generic drain pump impeller for a Bosch SHX68T5, hoping it would fix the sudsing issue. After 2 hours of teardown and swapping the part, the machine still wouldn't drain. Turns out the real problem was a tiny crack in the sump housing that cost $120 for the OEM replacement. Anyone else waste time chasing cheap fixes instead of just ordering the right part first?

2 comments

c/bakers•

grantthomas•26d ago

Found out most croissants use margarine not butter from a bakery tour in Chicago last weekend

The guide said over 80% of the commercial bakeries in the city use margarine for the lamination because it's cheaper and holds up better in the fridge, and I honestly had no idea until that moment.

2 comments

c/dry-herb-vape-tips•

grantthomas•27d ago

Old timer at the shop told me to pack bowls loose, not tight

Back when I first got my Arizer Solo, a guy named Tom who ran a smoke shop near my job in Phoenix said I was packing my herb too tight. He said it kills airflow and you get weak hits. I ignored him for like six months cause I thought more herb meant more vapor. One day I tried it his way with a loose pack and a slower draw and the flavor was way better plus the clouds were actually thicker. Anyone else get told some tip that sounded wrong but turned out right?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

grantthomas•1mo ago

Tracked my mood for 6 months and realized I was doing it wrong

I used to put a color dot for each day in my bullet journal showing how I felt. Happy was green, sad was blue, angry was red, that kind of thing. After 6 months I looked back and just saw a bunch of random colors with no pattern. Then I saw someone online who tracks the reason for the mood, not just the mood itself. So I started writing one or two words next to each dot like 'work deadline' or 'slept bad' or 'called mom'. Now when I flip back I can actually see what triggers my bad days. It made the whole habit useful instead of just coloring. Has anyone else found a better way to track moods that actually tells you something?

2 comments