Skyler Clark (u/skylerc86)

Posts

My sourdough starter was flat for months because of my tap water

I live in Phoenix and our water is super hard. My starter never bubbled up right, always stayed like pancake batter. A baker friend told me to try bottled spring water instead. Switched to Arrowhead brand and it doubled in size in two days. Anyone else have to change their water source for baking?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

skylerc86•3d ago

Our group nearly split over the ending of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'

Last month, my book club in Dayton spent a full hour arguing about whether Evelyn was a hero or just selfish. One member got so heated she quoted a specific line from page 312 about sacrifice. How do you guys handle it when a book causes real division like that?

2 comments

c/climate-action•

skylerc86•3d ago

Switched my shop's water heater to a heat pump model last fall

My electric bill for the dog wash area dropped by about $40 a month starting in October. I was skeptical it would work well enough for the constant hot water we need, but it's been fine. The install cost a bit upfront, but the local utility had a rebate that covered nearly half of it. Over six months, the savings have already paid for a good chunk of the difference from the old tank. Has anyone else made a similar switch in a small business setting and seen the numbers work out?

2 comments

c/apartment-composting•

skylerc86•12d ago

Appreciation post: I hit 20 pounds of finished compost in my 5-gallon bucket

I mean, I started this worm bin in my studio apartment six months ago just to see if I could do it. I kept a little notebook and weighed the scraps going in. This morning I pulled out the finished stuff and it was exactly 20 pounds. That's a whole bag of potting soil I don't have to buy. It just felt like a real win, you know? Makes all the little bits of banana peels and coffee grounds feel worth it. Anyone else track their output and get surprised by the numbers?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

skylerc86•12d ago

My uncle swore by a trick for stuck caliper bolts that almost cost me a rotor

Honestly, my uncle Mike, who's been turning wrenches since the 80s, always told me to give a stuck caliper bracket bolt a good whack with a hammer to shock it loose before trying to turn it. He said it never failed. So last week on a 2015 Civic, I did just that. Ngl, I hit it pretty solid with a 3lb sledge. The bolt didn't budge, but I heard a nasty crack. Turns out I cracked the mounting ear on the knuckle itself. I had to source a whole used knuckle from a junkyard, which set the job back a full day and cost me $85 out of pocket. Now I'm looking at a possible weld repair if the customer complains. Has anyone else had a 'trusted' trick completely backfire like that? What's your real method for frozen bolts besides just heat and patience?

2 comments

c/found-family-fiction•

skylerc86•14d ago

Rant: I gave up on finding a new show to watch and just rewatched Leverage for the third time

I was feeling pretty down last week and nothing new on the streaming services was clicking. So I went back to the old crew of grifters on Leverage. The way they all start as a job and end up a family, arguing over takeout in the bar, gets me every single time. It's a comfort watch that always works. What's your go-to found family show when you need a pick-me-up?

2 comments

c/ask-anything•

skylerc86•21d ago

I was asking questions wrong for years until a teacher in Denver pointed it out

I always just asked 'why' when I didn't get something, which often got me a short answer. My kid's 4th grade teacher in Denver told me to try asking 'how does that work' instead. It makes people explain the steps, not just the reason. What's your go-to question when you need a full explanation?

2 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

skylerc86•23d ago

Showerthought: The best writing prompt I ever got came from a stranger at a bus stop

This was maybe three years ago, waiting for the bus in the rain. A guy, maybe in his 60s, was just staring at a puddle. He turned to me and said, 'You ever think about what a puddle remembers? It holds the sky, the soles of shoes, tire tracks, bird prints. For a little while, it's a perfect record of everything that passed by. Then it just dries up.' He got on his bus and left. I stood there getting soaked, but I wrote that line down on a receipt in my pocket. It stuck with me because it wasn't a plot idea, it was a whole way of seeing the world that could fit into any story. I've used that 'what does it remember' lens for objects, places, even characters. What's the most offhand, real-life comment someone has given you that turned into a great writing spark?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

skylerc86•25d ago

Heads up if you're planning a cook for a crowd this weekend

Last week in Dallas, I nearly ran out of brisket for a 40-person party because my new smoker's temp gauge was reading 50 degrees too low, so double-check your equipment with a second probe before you commit.

3 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

skylerc86•25d ago

My local shop had a 'no price tags' sale and it was a total nightmare

They decided to run this event where you had to ask for the price of every single back issue. I spent 45 minutes trying to find a decent copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300, only to be told it was $400 when I finally asked. The guy behind the counter got visibly annoyed after my seventh price check. Has anyone else's shop tried something this annoying?

4 comments

Posts

My sourdough starter was flat for months because of my tap water

Our group nearly split over the ending of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'

Switched my shop's water heater to a heat pump model last fall

Appreciation post: I hit 20 pounds of finished compost in my 5-gallon bucket

My uncle swore by a trick for stuck caliper bolts that almost cost me a rotor

Rant: I gave up on finding a new show to watch and just rewatched Leverage for the third time

I was asking questions wrong for years until a teacher in Denver pointed it out

Showerthought: The best writing prompt I ever got came from a stranger at a bus stop

Heads up if you're planning a cook for a crowd this weekend

My local shop had a 'no price tags' sale and it was a total nightmare

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