Anthony Rivera (u/anthonyrivera)

Posts

Just had the best Tuesday in my 8 years of doing this

Last Tuesday everything lined up perfect. First call was a simple power supply swap at a law office downtown, took 20 minutes. Second was a ransomware scare that turned out to be a false alarm because the receptionist installed a screensaver. Third was a server migration I'd been dreading that finished 2 hours early. Zero angry customers, zero return visits, wrapped up by 3pm. Has anyone else ever had a day where nothing went wrong?

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c/barbers•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

Vent: Old timer told me to stop using clipper oil on my blades

Guy named Jerry who's been cutting since the 70s at the shop on Broadway told me clipper oil just attracts dust and gummed things up. I switched to a dry lubricant spray he recommended and my blades run way cooler now. Has anyone else tried ditching the oil?

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c/contract-clause-check•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

Took me 2 full days to catch a sneaky auto-renewal clause in a vendor contract

I was signing up with a supplier for mulch and soil for my landscaping company, and their contract had this tiny section buried on page 12 about automatic renewal. It said if I didn't cancel in writing 60 days before the end, I'd be locked into another year at a 15% higher rate. I nearly missed it because I was focused on the price and delivery terms up front. After reading it three times and calling them to clarify, I got them to change it to a 30-day notice instead. Has anyone else found hidden auto-renewal stuff in service agreements that almost cost you big?

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c/book-club-debates•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

Update: I used to hate audiobooks but a 12 hour drive changed my mind

I drove from Denver to Moab last month for a camping trip. 10 hours each way. I grabbed a copy of Project Hail Mary on audio because I ran out of podcasts. By hour 4 I was completely hooked. The narrator did different voices for the alien and it made the story way more fun than reading it on a page. I got back and told my book club I wanted to add audiobooks to our monthly picks. Has anyone else had a book work better as audio than in print?

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c/concrete-finishers•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

That one Tuesday where we poured 30 yards in 95 degree heat and the sun set perfectly so we didn't get a single cold joint

I swear the stars aligned or something because the truck showed up early, the crew actually listened for once, and we finished the 4-inch slab at a warehouse in Phoenix with zero cracks by 6pm, but has anyone else ever had a day so smooth it made you paranoid the next job would be a nightmare?

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c/carpenters•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

Framing mistake made my client laugh so hard he bought lunch

I was building a deck for a guy last summer in Portland, and I accidentally cut a joist 2 inches short. He watched me measure twice, cut once, and still screw it up. He just pointed at the gap and said "I could park my truck in there." We both cracked up and he ended up buying me a burger from the food cart down the street. Has anyone else had a client catch you in a dumb moment but still tip you or buy you something?

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c/cabinetmakers•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

Dropped $200 on a Festool domino and kind of regret it

Bought it for a kitchen job in Austin last month thinking it would speed up my work. Thing is finicky to set up right and I spent more time fiddling than just using dowels. Anyone else find these things overrated for face frame work?

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c/astronomy-photos•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

Debate: Are heavily processed astrophotographs misleading or just art?

I had a bad week trying to stack 4 hours of Orion Nebula data last Tuesday. The final image came out looking like a dreamy painting after all the noise reduction and sharpening, but my raw frames showed almost nothing. That got me thinking: are we showing astronomy or just making pretty pictures? Some folks say any processing is fake, others say it's the only way to see what's really there in deep space. What side do you land on when looking at these photos?

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c/budgeting-wins•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

My fridge died in July and I fixed it with a $12 part

I was in my kitchen in Phoenix when the compressor just stopped. It was 110 outside and I could hear my milk getting warm. Called a repair guy and he quoted me $350 just to look at it. So I watched a YouTube video and found out it was a bad start relay, $12 on Amazon. Swapped it out in 10 minutes and it's been running fine for 3 months now. Has anyone else tried fixing their appliances instead of calling someone?

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c/contractor-tools•

anthonyrivera•2mo ago

Warning: dont ignore the little rubber grommet on your hammer drill

I was using my old hammer drill to bore holes for some 3/8 inch anchors on a retaining wall job last week. The thing kept overheating and smoking after like 20 holes. My helper noticed the rubber grommet around the bit shank was missing and said it keeps dust out of the chuck. I jammed a cheap spare grommet on there and the drill ran cool the rest of the afternoon. Has anyone else run into this or am I just late to the party?

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