Nora Torres (u/nora535)

Posts

Watched a denim jacket go from stiff cardboard to soft as a t-shirt after 6 wears and a salt soak

The difference was the rinse cycle with table salt locked the indigo in place, has anyone else tried this trick for keeping dark wash jeans from fading?

3 comments

c/fermentation-station•

nora535•1d ago

Old timer at a farmers market told me my hot sauce was too acidic. Changed my brine ratio from 3% to 2.5% salt.

I was selling at the Eugene Saturday market last month and this guy in his 70s buys a bottle, takes a sip right there and just says "you're killing the pepper flavor with salt." I was pissed at first. But I tried a batch with less salt and let it ferment a few extra days. He was right. The heat comes through way more now. Anyone else get roasted by a random stranger and actually benefited from it?

2 comments

c/executive-leadership•

nora535•1d ago

That Monday when my entire senior team walked out on a decision

Last quarter I had a board meeting where I pitched a new restructuring plan I'd spent 3 months building. The CFO stopped me 10 minutes in and said it would kill our cash flow projections for the next 18 months. Then the VP of ops chimed in saying it would blow up our supply chain in Chicago. I had to scrap the whole thing on the spot and start over with their input. It was humbling but the final plan actually saved us $2.3 million over two years. Has anyone else had a big idea get shot down in real time and it turned out better?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

nora535•2d ago

Hot take: Franklin BBQ in Austin is overrated for the wait

I drove 4 hours to Austin last Saturday and stood in line at Franklin BBQ for 3 hours. The brisket was good but not $60 and half a day good, you know? Anyone else think the side dishes there are just average?

2 comments

c/arborists•

nora535•3d ago

Buckthorn vs. honeysuckle - picked wrong for shelterbelts

Back in '08 I had to choose between planting buckthorn or honeysuckle for a windbreak on a 40 acre plot outside Madison. I went with buckthorn, thought it was tougher. Now I'm fighting it every season, roots everywhere. Honeysuckle would've been more work upfront but less headache later. Anyone else regret a fast growing hedge choice?

2 comments

c/ask-the-locals•

nora535•3d ago

Realized my cheap rain jacket was the reason I was always soaked during hikes

Hiked about 8 miles in Olympic National Park last month and got drenched even though I had a rain jacket on. I thought I was just unlucky with the mist, but my buddy who runs a gear shop pointed out the jacket's seams were unsealed and the fabric was basically a water sponge. Took me 4 years of misery to figure out that a $40 jacket isn't a rain jacket, it's just a windbreaker that pretends. Now I look for pit zips and sealed seams, total game changer for wet weather walks. Anyone else get fooled by those budget rain shells?

2 comments

c/computer-technicians•

nora535•23d ago

Spent 4 hours chasing a printer driver issue that was just a loose USB cable.

Last Tuesday I was swapping out an old HP LaserJet for a small law firm and the new one kept throwing error codes, turns out the cable wasn't fully clicked in and I wasted my whole afternoon on it, has anyone else had a fix that stupidly simple take forever to figure out?

2 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

nora535•27d ago

My trip to the Essen Spiel fair totally changed how I store game boxes

I was at the Essen Spiel game fair last October and noticed a vendor using clear acrylic shelf dividers to keep their demo copies from sliding around. I bought a pack of 6 for $12 and now my game shelf stays perfectly organized without leaning.

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

nora535•1mo ago

That thing where people torque head bolts dry on a wet engine

I keep seeing guys slap head bolts in without any lube on the threads or under the bolt head. Then they wonder why their torque readings are all over the place and the gasket blows six months later. I had a guy bring a 6.0 Powerstroke into my shop last Tuesday that had three bolts way under spec because the friction was all wrong. I told him to oil every thread and re-torque, and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else run into this on a big inline 6 or am I the only one who noticed?

2 comments

c/drafters•

nora535•1mo ago

Dropped $180 on a digital caliper and it paid for itself in one job

Bought a Mitutoyo digital caliper last month for a custom kitchen cabinet layout I was drafting. The old dial caliper I had was off by 1/32nd on a critical measurement, and the new one caught it before I cut anything. Anyone else find that spending a little more on measuring tools actually saves you money in the end?

2 comments