Karen Barnes (u/karenb97)

Posts

Switched from a french press to a pour over after 5 years of thinking it was hype

Honestly I used to think pour over was just for people who wanted to show off. I was team french press for like 5 years straight, making my morning coffee the same way every day. Then a barista at a shop in Austin last month let me try their pour over and I finally got why people bother. The clean taste without any grit blew my mind. Has anyone else made a switch like that and regretted not doing it sooner?

3 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

karenb97•4d ago

That moment I stopped pre-ground and started grinding my own beans

Used to think pre-ground coffee was fine, until I grabbed a bag from a local roaster in Spokane last month and asked them to grind it for French press. Tasted flat compared to the whole beans I ground myself the next morning with a $30 burr grinder. Has anyone else noticed a night-and-day difference once they made the switch?

4 comments

c/computer-technicians•

karenb97•6d ago

My dad's 1998 Compaq finally made me get it about thermal paste

My old man was cleaning out his garage and pulled out this ancient Compaq Presario from 1998. He told me he never once replaced thermal paste on it and it still runs fine. I gave him the whole spiel about how it degrades and needs replacing every few years. He just shrugged and said 'then why is my 27 year old computer still working and you're on your third motherboard in 5 years?' Honestly stung a bit. Any of you techs ever had a customer with a crusty old PC that just refuses to quit?

3 comments

c/alberta-homeowners•

karenb97•7d ago

Dropped $800 on a radon mitigation system in Calgary last fall and my basement levels went from 180 to 12

Did anyone else get sticker shock from the quotes or was it just me, and how low did yours end up getting?

4 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

karenb97•7d ago

My tablet pen died mid-commission and I lost 3 hours of work

Working on a big piece for a client. Got into the flow around 9pm. Suddenly my Wacom pen just stopped responding. No warning, no low battery indicator. Took me 20 minutes to realize the nib was completely worn down to the sensor. Had to restart the whole shading process on that layer. Anyone else have a tool fail at the worst possible moment?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

karenb97•13d ago

Warning: My resume software mangled half my job dates

I used this app to format my resume last week. It auto-adjusted all my employment dates. Put a 3 year gap where there was none. Nearly sent it out like that to a job in Austin. Double check everything before you hit submit. Has anyone else had a tool mess up their application?

3 comments

c/business-marketing•

karenb97•1mo ago

Shoutout to the guy who ran a billboard campaign for a lawn care service in December in Minnesota

Last month I drove past three of his frozen snow-covered signs every morning for two weeks and honest to god the only thing I remembered was his phone number because I couldn't stop laughing at how bad the timing was, so has anyone else seen a marketing move that was hilariously out of season?

3 comments

c/farriers•

karenb97•1mo ago

My decision to switch from handmade to machine-forged shoes cost me a client

After 12 years of using only handmade shoes from a local smith in Kentucky, I tried a set of machine-forged ones from a catalog to save time on a busy October. The fit was off on two hooves and the owner noticed the horse moving different at the next ride. Has anyone else made the swap and gone back to handmade?

3 comments

c/estheticians•

karenb97•1mo ago

TIL my hydrafacial machine can just stop mid-treatment for no reason

Last Tuesday I was halfway through a hydrafacial on a regular client when my machine just shut off. No error code, no warning, just dead. I had to grab my backup spray gun and finish the extraction manually, which took forever and made my hand cramp up. Called the repair place the next day and they said it's a known issue with the pump on these older models. Anyone else have a machine fail on them in the middle of a service? What did you do?

3 comments

c/carpet-installers•

karenb97•1mo ago

That summer I used a butter knife to trim carpet edges

Back in 2018 I was working a basement job in Overland Park and forgot my trim knife. Owner handed me a butter knife from the kitchen. I laughed but tried it anyway. Worked okay for some straight cuts. Now I carry three spare knives in my truck. Who else has made do with weird tools on site?

4 comments