Vent: The week I made $0 and almost quit freelancing for good

Last March I had a stretch where I landed zero clients for 10 days straight. I spent like 30 hours sending out proposals on Upwork and got one reply that ghosted me after the first message. My savings dropped to $200 and I was seriously looking at grocery store job postings. What broke the streak was a random referral from a former client who needed a rush project. Has anyone else hit a wall like that where you just stare at your inbox wondering if you chose the wrong career?

That panel at MomoCon changed my mind about seasonal anime

I was dead set against watching anything seasonal until that one panel at MomoCon where the host pulled up a 2019 chart showing how every seasonal hit got slept on at first, and now I actually check the new lineup each season because of it.

Honestly, my morning coffee went from okay to amazing after I switched to a burr grinder

Tbh, for like 6 months I was using a cheap blade grinder and my pour-overs were always kinda bitter and weak. Last week I got a Baratza Encore and started grinding fresh beans from that roaster in Seattle, Olympia Coffee. The difference is crazy, the flavor is so much cleaner and brighter now. Has anyone else had a grind upgrade make this big of a change for them?

My home office turned into a bug hotel for a day

I was deep in a project at my kitchen table in Akron last Tuesday when a huge ant swarm came out of the wall behind my monitor. They were everywhere, crawling over my keyboard and notes. I had to grab my laptop and move the whole operation to my car for two hours while I dealt with it. Has anyone else had their workspace totally taken over by something wild like that?

My neighbor's comment about my sourdough made me stop and think

I was dropping off a loaf for my neighbor, Mrs. Ellis, and she said, 'You know, I can always tell when you've had a good bake day. You walk a little taller.' I've been trying to get a proper ear on my sourdough for about 6 months now, and I get so focused on the fails, like last week's flat brick. I never thought about how the wins might show to other people. It made me realize I only ever talk about the bad results. Has anyone else had someone point out a baking win you didn't even notice yourself?

Just realized my favorite anime discussion forum has gotten way too serious

Last week on AnimeForumX, I tried to start a fun thread about the best filler episodes in Naruto. Three years ago, that would have sparked a bunch of funny memories and maybe some friendly arguing. But now, the first three replies were all long essays about narrative structure and studio production schedules, with one person linking a 40-page academic paper. It feels like you can't just talk about liking or disliking a show anymore without someone treating it like a thesis defense. Has anyone else noticed their usual hangout spot getting way too analytical?

A customer in Tulsa told me to skip the post hole digger and just use a shovel. It cost him $400 extra.

I finally got my head around rounding spines after a year of messing it up

For the first 12 months, I'd just hammer the text block on my bench and hope for the best, which gave me uneven, lumpy curves. Then I watched a video from a binder in Portland who uses a simple piece of dowel and a rolling pin motion. I tried it on a poetry book last week and the curve came out perfect, no weird flat spots. Anyone have other low-tech ways to get a smooth round?

Question about quenching in used motor oil

I know a lot of guys swear by quenching in old motor oil for tools, but I tried it on a set of punches I was making and got a weird result. I had this 10W-40 from my truck change, figured I'd give it a shot. Heated the steel to a nice orange, then quenched it. The punches came out with this soft, almost rubbery skin that flaked off, while the core seemed way too hard and brittle. I snapped one testing it on a piece of scrap. I think the additives in modern oil messed with the quench speed, making it uneven. I went back to my simple canola oil for the next batch and they turned out perfect. Has anyone else run into this with newer automotive oils?

Question about the right way to clean out a ladle after a pour

I keep seeing guys at our shop just bang the slag off the lip and call it good. Did that myself for years. Last month, I started using a wire cup brush on a grinder to get the last crust off the inside walls. The next pour from that ladle was noticeably cleaner, with way less inclusions in the casting. It only adds about two minutes to the cleanup. Anyone else notice a big difference from a truly clean ladle versus a quick knock?