A simple change to my profile pictures got me way better matches

For about three months, I only had one clear headshot and a couple blurry group photos. I got maybe one match a week, and they rarely replied. Last month, I swapped in three new pictures: one of me hiking at Red Rock Canyon, one smiling with my dog, and a clear full-body shot in normal clothes. In the two weeks since, I've matched with eight people who actually start conversations. The difference was showing what I actually do and look like, not just a face. Has anyone else seen a big jump from fixing their photos?

Warning: I got caught in a flash flood on the West Rim Trail in Zion last spring

I was about 8 miles into the hike, near Potato Hollow, when the sky just opened up. Within maybe 20 minutes, a dry wash I had crossed earlier turned into a rushing, muddy river about 3 feet deep. My planned route was completely blocked. I had to make a fast choice: try to find a risky way across upstream, or backtrack several miles to a known high point and wait it out, which meant a cold, wet night. I chose to backtrack and hunker down. It was the right call, but it meant I ran out of food a day early and had to cut my trip short. Has anyone else had to completely abandon a route due to sudden weather, and how did you decide it was time to turn around?

I bought a 'natural' fruit juice and a regular soda, the sugar count was the same 39 grams per serving.

An old timer in Tacoma showed me his trick for spotting a bad sheave groove

We were on a dock job three years back, and he pointed at the main hoist line. He told me to watch for a 'flat spot' in the wire rope's twist, not just wear on the outside. He said, 'If the rope looks like it's been ironed flat for an inch, that sheave is eating your cable from the inside.' I check for that flat spot during every pre-op now. Has anyone else found a simple visual check that caught a bigger problem?

Switched to a SootMaster 360 brush for tight flues last month

Honestly, I used to just muscle through narrow chimneys with a standard wire brush and a lot of elbow grease. After a tough job on a 6x9 flue in an old Boston brownstone, a guy at the supply house told me to try the SootMaster 360's flexible head. Ngl, it cut my time in half and got way more creosote off the tile. Anyone else found a better tool for those really tight, square flues?

Faced a choice between a full packer brisket or just the flat for a cookout in Boise

I had 12 people coming over and was worried about time and space. I picked the full packer, a 16-pounder from a local butcher, and smoked it for about 14 hours on my offset. The point came out perfect, but the flat was a bit dry. Anyone have tips for keeping the flat more moist on a long cook like that?

Just compared booking flights 3 months out versus 6 weeks out for a trip to Lisbon

I tracked prices for a trip from Chicago to Lisbon for two months. Booking exactly 3 months before the trip got me a round trip for $580. When I checked again 6 weeks before, the same flight was over $900. The difference was about $320, which paid for most of my food budget. I think the sweet spot for international flights is right around that 3-month mark. Has anyone else found a better time frame for booking flights to Europe?

Hot take: Saw a deepfake of our mayor at a local festival in Charlotte

It was on a phone screen in the crowd, showing him saying stuff he never would. How do you even fact check something like that on the spot?